6. Aircraft & Catapults
The seven floatplanes Yamato carried were not fighter
planes capable of protecting her. They were designed for
reconnaissance and to help direct Yamato's guns to distant
targets. The range of her big guns was so enormous—25
miles—that spotter planes were essential for honing in on
enemy ships over the horizon. Two immense catapults—as tall
as six-story buildings when raised—launched the planes, and
an equally enormous crane lifted them from the water upon their
return to the ship.