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A remarkable photo from 1941 shows myriad details of the Yamato's rear aircraft deck, side 6-inch guns that were replaced by AA guns later in the war, as well as the aft superstructure and main turret #3.

A FEW RANDOM THOUGHTS ON YAMATO - PART III:

Almost all Japanese photos of Battleship Yamato were destroyed in the wholesale burning of military archives after Japan's capitulation (but before the US forces came ashore).

As a result, there has been a fascination among Yamato fans as to exactly what the ship looked like during the different stages of the war. As you will see, she - and her sister ship, Musashi - went through at least 3 different deck and gun configuration phases between 1941 and 1945.

Please note, however, that there undoubtedly are a few other obscure archival photos of the Yamato in action (almost all taken by the US Navy planes that tried, and ultimately succeeded, in sinking her). If you happen to have an archival photo of Yamato or Musashi that is not on this website, I humbly ask you to leave me a comment with your email address and I will get back to you.

The photos in this album are basically arranged in chronological order, and are accompanied by text describing when and where they were taken, their significance, (if known).

Colorized photo courtesy of Irootoko Jr.