The Battleship Yamato was the lead ship of her class built for the Imperial Japanese Navy and launched on August 8, 1940. The name Yamato was a poetic and spiritual synonym for Japan. On the bow was a golden, chrysanthemum-shaped crest over 6' in length. It could be seen from miles away and symbolized the Imperial family.

Yamato had a bulbous hydrodynamic bow which created its own wave that canceled out another wave generated by the main part of the ship. This action cut down on resistance and made it possible for the Yamato to reach nearly 28 knots (32 mph). She was the first Japanese warship equipped with air conditioning and provided superior living conditions for her crew. She and her sister ship the Musashi were largest battleships ever built. Her hull was 863 feet long. Fully loaded she displaced nearly 71 tons of water and was armed with the greatest firepower ever mounted on a vessel with more than 150 guns including nine 46cm Type 94 main guns. These guns were capable of sending 3,200 pound armor piercing shells on a trajectory of 22.5 miles. Since the range of her guns was so enormous she carried 7 spotter planes and two catapults which launched the planes. In addition, she had a huge crane to lift the planes from the water and return them to the ship. She carried 5" and 6" secondary guns that could shoot more rounds per minute than the slower loading main guns. Finally she was equipped with anti-aircraft guns. She was virtually impregnable to the guns of any ship.

Yamato was formally commissioned a week after Pearl Harbor in 1941. She was the flagship of the Combined Fleet. In 1942 Admiral Yamamoto directed the fleet from her bridge during the Battle of Midway. After the defeat at Midway, Yamato spent 1943 moving between Japanese naval bases in response to various threats. Yamato was torpedoed by an American submarine, repaired, and refitted with additional anti-aircraft guns and radar in 1944. She was present at the Battle of the Philippine Sea but played no part in the battle. She engaged American forces during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. As part of Operation Ten-Go, the last major Japanese naval operation in the Pacific theater of WWII, the Yamato was sent to Okinawa in April 1945 with orders to beach herself and fight until destroyed. She was intended to assist in slowing the Allied advance by serving as a stationary artillery platform. Any remaining crew was intended to join the army defending Okinawa. In route, she was spotted by US submarines and aircraft and sunk by American carrier-based bombers and torpedo bombers on April 7, 1945.

• Kit contains over 2,800 parts
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