Battleship Yamato Afloat

Today's episode has to do with Japan's legendary battleship of World War II "Yamato" whose images were partly bared June 22 in Kure, Hiroshima - the chrysanthemum emblem at the bow, its gigantic screw, the biggest ever built then.

The battleship sank four months prior to the end of the war on April 7, 1945 by US carrier-based bombers and torpedo bombers.

Battleship Yamato was more than a ship in the minds of the Japanese then. It was a symbol of strength and the ultimate of warship-building then - displacing 72,800 tonnes at full load and armed with nine 46cm (181.1 inch) 45 Caliber Type 94 main guns.

Last month, the City of Kure attempted an extensive survey of Yamato 350 meters underwater. Filmmaking lasted for over 50 hours and 4 minutes worth of the images were made public June 22.

Among the images were the chrysanthemum emblem at the bow, a round protrusion underneath the bow to minimize water resistance, etc. Particularly impressive was the 5-meter-long screw, the largest ever build in the world then.

The city officials revealed the chrysanthemum emblem exposed its wooden base with no trace of gold foils and the round protrusion was bent by water pressure and fatally deformed. The screw, however, still shined gold, they said, with no visible signs of degradation.

The city is scheduled to further analyze the findings and reveal most of the images in September this year - including her legendary 46cm super main guns.

Curator Michioka of the Yamato Museum, Kure, said:

"We believe it worthwhile preserving clear images of Yamato lying underwater as a testimony of Japan's high level of shipbuilding and of the misery and sorrow of war."

Kazushi Hiro, 92, a survivor and signal man onboard Yamato for two years, recalls:

"We all believed Yamato was an unsinkable battleship and I was proud to be onboard. These remains of Yamato choke me up breathless, thinking about my comrades who share their fate with her."

I'll be sure to visit the museum in September for the second time. I'm Nathan Shiga. Good day.