Japanese battleship Yamato is sunk by Allied forces (Apr 7, 1945)

[bohica]

On this day in 1945, the Japanese battleship Yamato, ostensibly the greatest battleship in the world, is sunk in Japan's first major counteroffensive in the struggle for Okinawa.

Weighing 72,800 tons and outfitted with nine 18.1-inch guns, the battleship Yamato was Japan's only hope of destroying the Allied fleet off the coast of Okinawa. But insufficient air cover and fuel cursed the endeavor as a suicide mission. Struck by 19 American aerial torpedoes, it was sunk, drowning 2,498 of its crew.

Source: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/japanese-battleship-yamato-is-sunk-by-allied-forces

[naruto789544]

interesting.. and here i was thinking that the battleship was blown out of commission in the philippine seas...