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Sinking the Supership
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Classroom Activity
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Activity Summary
Students will use a viewing guide while watching a program about the
Battleship
Yamato and discuss answers to their questions after watching.
Learning Objectives
Students will be able to:
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relate the history of the Battleship Yamato.
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describe the Battleship Yamato's design, capabilities,
and significance.
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copy of the "Battleship Yamato" student handout (PDF
or
HTML)
Background
When launched in 1941, the Yamato was the world's largest and
most powerful warship ever built. It was a symbol of Japanese
military power and a response to attempts by world powers to place
limitations on fleet sizes in order to de-escalate the naval arms
race.
The Yamato was built in absolute secrecy. Designed to be
twice the size of any other battleship, it included three large gun
turrets—each weighing more than an American
destroyer—that could send a shell 40 kilometers. Its bulbous
bow aided the large vessel's hydrodynamics.
The Yamato saw limited action during World War II. Although
the ship was struck a number of times by torpedoes and bombs, it
suffered little damage. Initial successes of Japanese air forces led
to the emergence of the aircraft carrier as the primary weapon at
sea, a development that diminished the Yamato's role in the
Japanese fleet.
As American forces prepared for the invasion of Okinawa, the
Yamato was ordered to do everything possible to stop this
attack. A decision was made to sacrifice the ship in a suicide
mission. But the Americans intercepted the Yamato while she
was still 320 kilometers away from the closest American warship. A
coordinated attack by more than 400 planes from a dozen U.S.
aircraft carriers sunk the Yamato. The result was the largest
naval disaster in history—only 269 of 3,016 crew members
survived.
Key Terms
battleship: A large, heavily armored warship.
bulbous bow: A type of protuberant bow that produces its own
wake to interfere with the ship's main wake in such a way as to
reduce drag on the vessel.
destroyer: A warship with smaller guns designed for speed.
gun turret: A revolving platform on a warship that contains
guns and an area of protection for the operators.
kamikaze: World War II Japanese pilots flying ritual suicide
missions against Allied ships, crashing planes loaded with
explosives.
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Organize students into five teams. Assign each team a set of
four questions. Distribute a copy of the student handout to each
team.
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Review key terms with students, and discuss appropriate
background information.
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As students watch the program, have each student take notes on
the questions that her or his team has been assigned.
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After watching the program, have students meet in their teams to
discuss their notes. Beginning with the first question assigned,
ask teams to come to consensus on an answer. The team response
should be written down as the answer to this question. Continue
until all questions are answered.
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Have teams share the questions and answers that came out of
their group work.
(See Activity Answer on page 4 for possible answers. Accept
all reasonable answers.)
Ask students in the rest of the class if they agree with what
the team has presented. If students don't agree, ask them to
explain why and provide evidence from the program that will
support their opinion. When possible, expand upon a question or
provide additional historical background for students.
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To conclude, discuss with students how war tactics have changed
over time. Have students consider the Revolutionary War, the
Civil War, World War II, and the war in Iraq. What equipment,
artillery, and tactics were used in each conflict? How did each
war differ from the one before it? How have changes in
technology influenced changes in warfare?
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As an extension, have students list any places or monuments that
represent national symbols. What do they have in common? Why are
national symbols important? Ask students what national symbols
they know of that have been destroyed.
(Some examples include the Berlin Wall, New York City's Twin
Towers, and the statue of Saddam Hussein.)
What impact does the destruction of a national symbol have on a
nation?
Suggested answers to the questions listed on the student handout:
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Who took part in the search for the Yamato?
an international team of deep-sea divers and naval
historians
What was the significance of locating the Imperial Crest?
only the largest of the Japanese ships had Imperial Crests to
indicate they belonged to the Emperor
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When did the American fleet learn the location of the
Yamato? dawn of April 7, 1945 How was it able to
determine the Yamato's exact location?
through reconnaissance planes
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How did American forces coordinate an air assault on the
Yamato?
more than 400 planes from a dozen aircraft carriers took part
in a coordinated attack; the first wave of dive bombers
dropped bombs on the deck and launched torpedoes at the ship's
hull; the second wave of fighter planes strafed the ship with
gunfire; the third wave of low-altitude bombers launched 12
final torpedoes that sank the ship
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Why did thousands of men drown on the Yamato?
the ship's watertight compartments had been sealed shut to
prevent further flooding
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Why were battleships important components of any fleet?
they could provide devastating firepower across great
distances
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What steps did the Japanese take to ensure secrecy when building
the Yamato?
the dry dock was covered in fish netting and no one person
ever saw a complete design plan; even the
Yamato's commanding officers were not provided with
details about the ship's true size
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What was unique about the Yamato compared to other
battleships?
it was about twice the size of other battleships; each of the
three gun turrets weighed more than an American destroyer; the
guns had a range of 40 kilometers (spotter planes were needed
to target over the horizon); the Yamato was built
around the guns; extra width allowed the ship to be fitted
with the thickest armor
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Why were American battleships limited in width?
since America had a two-ocean Navy, its ships' widths were
limited by the width of the locks of the Panama Canal, which
were 33 meters wide
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Why were hydrodynamics an issue for the Yamato?
the extra width needed to support the enormous gun turrets
increased the resistance from waves; the Yamato could
not be hydrodynamically efficient with a standard bow
design
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What is a bulbous bow?
as a ship moves through water the bow produces a wave; the
bulbous bow produces a wave in front of the ship that reduces
the wave action and the drag effect of the water What benefits does this shape provide?
the bow reduces resistance, which allows the ship to travel
faster
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How did Japanese victories in 1941 lead to the demise of the
Yamato?
Pearl Harbor and the sinking of the British Battleship
Prince of Wales
demonstrated the effective use of airpower and the rising
importance of the aircraft carrier as the primary weapon at
sea
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Why was the Yamato not committed to the Battle of Midway?
the Battle of Midway was a contest between aircraft carriers;
the Yamato stayed 300 miles away out of range of
American planes, and served as a command center; Japan did not
want to risk losing its irreplaceable treasure
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What were kamikaze attacks?
Japanese pilots who performed ritualistic suicide missions;
pilots attacked 300 ships and sunk 34; to die with honor was a
unique, 800-year-old tradition
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Why was the kamikaze strategy used during the final stages of
the war? American forces were approaching the Japanese home islands
and this was the last attempt to halt the advance
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What indicated that the Yamato's final mission was a
kamikaze operation?
sailors were told to sort everything out, pay off all debts,
and take care of things before boarding the ship; the mission
was organized by the same commanders who organized the
kamikaze air attacks; the Yamato only had enough fuel
for a one-way trip; sailors sent last letters home and alcohol
was distributed to crew the night before the attack
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Why did the Yamato finally go into battle?
air attacks on Tokyo left 1 million homeless; 5,000 kamikaze
pilots were trying to stop American advance; in the name of
honor the Japanese navy decided to sacrifice its biggest
battleship
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Why did American bombers attack only on one side of the
Yamato?
the torpedoes would penetrate below the waterline between the
bow and the stern where the armor was thinnest; flooding on
one side would ensure the ship would capsize
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How do naval historians believe the Yamato sank?
flooded on one side by torpedoes, the Yamato listed to
port until it became unstable and then capsized; the gun
turrets were ripped from their mounts by their own weight;
tons of ammunition slammed together causing three massive
explosions which severed the Yamato into two pieces
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How many crew members survived? about 200 How were
they rescued? by a Japanese destroyer
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Why did the Japanese navy refuse to announce the sinking of the
Yamato?
the Yamato was a symbol of national prestige
Web Sites
NOVA—Sinking the Supership
www.pbs.org/nova/supership
Learn what it took to tell the story of the Yamato, read
eyewitness accounts of the ship's fatal last conflict, use an
interactive map to explore the ship's features, and view dramatic
archival photographs from the ship's final battle.
Ships of the World: An Historical Encyclopedia—Yamato
college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/ships/html/sh_101300_Yamato.htm
Examines the history of the Yamato from construction to
sinking.
Yamato (Battleship 1941-1945)
www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-fornv/japan/japsh-xz/Yamato.htm
Provides historical information and photographs.
Books
A Glorious Way to Die: The Kamikaze Mission of the Battleship
Yamato, April 1945
by Russell Spur. Newmarket Press, 1981.
Analyzes theYamato's last days from Japanese and American
perspectives.
Kamikaze: Japan's Suicide Gods
by Albert Axell. Longman Publishers, 2002.
Examines the motivation, strategy, and impact of the kamikaze
attacks in the final days of World War II.
Requiem for Battleship Yamato
by Yoshida Mitsuru. Naval Institute Press, 1999.
Focuses on the human side of the Yamato mission from the
viewpoint of a surviving junior officer.
The "Battleship Yamato" activity aligns with the following
National Science Education Standards (see
books.nap.edu/html/nses).
Grades 5-8
Science Standard F
Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
Science and technology in society
Grades 9-12
Science Standard F
Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
Science and technology in local, national, and global challenges
Classroom Activity Author
A former director of the National Science Teachers Association and
President of the Science Teachers Association of Manitoba, Dan
Forbes has been active in teaching and curriculum development in
both Canada and the United States for 20 years.
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