Displacing 72,000 tons, the vessels of the Yamato class were the largest,
heaviest, and most heavily-armed battleships ever constructed. These marvels of
naval design carried the largest naval artillery ever fitted to a warship,
sporting nine 460 millimetre naval guns capable of firing 2,998 pound shells
over 26 miles. In order to understand these epic battleships and rank their
importance, this DVD starts by analysing the evolution of the Japanese fleet
after the Battle of Tsushima in 1905. This astonishing battle, fought as part of
the Russo-Japanese War, saw the Japanese destroy two-thirds of the Russian
fleet.
Due to the strict secrecy of the Japanese it was
impossible for decades to show the original archive footage
of these
huge ships. Moreover, many of the original design documents and photographs for
these ships were destroyed by Japanese special service-officers, meaning only
fragmentary records remained. For almost 70 years details of these glorious
ships have been scarce, with original footage rarely seen in the Western world,
until now. With the discovery of a rare and unseen Japanese archive, these
gigantic warships can finally be shown in detail using over 60 minutes of unique
Japanese film.
With three bonus archive films about the
Japanese fleet and US Navy, as well as 20 photo galleries, this DVD offers a
complete reference of all the Japanese Battleships and Battle Cruisers in the
Second World War and is compulsive viewing for any maritime
enthusiast.
