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This photo captures Yamato (center of photo) and other ships of Center Force firing the "Sanshikidan" or "Beehive" shrapnel AA shells specially manufactured to be used against airplanes.

Equipped with a timed fuse that was set prior to firing, these shells would explode spraying thousands of ball bearings (in the case of Yamato and Musashi's 18" shells, up to a distance of a kilometer), which would bring down any planes within the kill zone.

The large blast with trailing smoke is probably from Yamato's 18" guns; the smaller blasts to the right of the photo are likely from the 5" AA batteries of Yamato or the other ships visible below.