Yamato's Final Voyage

While the Americans' 1,000-pound bombs held fearsome destructive power, as seen in this one exploding off Yamato's port bow, it was their air-launched torpedoes that ultimately led to the supership's demise. American aviators received orders to drop their torpedoes such that they would penetrate Yamato below the waterline near her bow and stern where her armor was thinnest. They were also instructed to concentrate their torpedoes on just one of Yamato's sides, an approach most likely to cause flooding and eventual sinking. Note the fire in one of the ship's aft turrets.