Anatomy of Yamato
12. Tower Bridge
The tower bridge was the ship's control center. Perched at its top,
100 feet above the weather deck, was a rangefinder with
state-of-the-art optics. Similar rangefinders aided targeting at
Yamato's three main gun turrets. Their range estimation would
have been critical in battles with distant enemy ships. But like
Yamato's modern radar and sonar equipment, the rangefinders
were little help in her final showdown with Allied planes.
Yamato
veteran Naoyoshi Ishida, who was stationed on the tower bridge,
could see the American pilots with his unaided eyes.