# Yamato/Musashi Battleship Quesion **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 23, 2024, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yamato-musashi-battleship-quesion/1009096 "2024-10-23T14:22:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![19USMC69](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/ac91a4/32.png) [@19USMC69](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/19USMC69)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2024, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yamato-musashi-battleship-quesion/1009096/1 "2024-10-23T14:22:07Z")
I finished an interesting book entitled “Destroyer Captain,” authors James & David Hornfischer. It follows the career of MOH recipient Capt Ernest Evans. In the section dealing with Leyte Gulf the authors state the Yamato and Musashi battleships could fire only one turret at a time, ostensibly due to potential damage to their decks. I’ve read more than my share of WW2 books, but have never come across this assertion. Can anyone corroborate this? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2024, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yamato-musashi-battleship-quesion/1009096/2 "2024-10-23T14:55:14Z")
Never heard that before. The question involves potential damage to the Musashi and Yamato from firing its own guns, I saw something online (not immediately confirmable) that not all guns in a turret fired simultaneously, to lessen the chance of blast damage. (apologies for answering a different, unasked question the first time). ---
**Author:** ![FrenchDunadan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frenchdunadan/32/5449_2.png) [@FrenchDunadan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrenchDunadan)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2024, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yamato-musashi-battleship-quesion/1009096/3 "2024-10-23T16:54:11Z")
Haven’t hear anything like that for the _Yamato_ neither. Battleships seemed to fire routinely all their guns, but there had been a problem on the _Richelieu_ class: with 4 guns by turret, firing them all at once caused a significant dispersion (between 500 to 1800 m varying with the range) compared to British BB. The problem was solved with a 60 ms delay, so not very noticeable. The salve of the _Yamato_ wasn’t even the heaviest of the time, British had more in WW1, so the “potential damage to the deck” semms dubious. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2024, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yamato-musashi-battleship-quesion/1009096/4 "2024-10-23T17:08:04Z")
The Iowas fired with a slight delay between the barrels to prevent one projectile’s flight interfering with the next. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2024, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yamato-musashi-battleship-quesion/1009096/5 "2024-10-23T17:37:54Z")
[This](https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/death-of-super-battleship-yamato-and-musashi/) article mentions > At 10:14, the Japanese detected two Martin Mariner PBM seaplanes, and the _Yamato_ fired a salvo at them from her 18.1-inch guns but missed. If taken at face value it implies that the Yamato could fire all of its guns at once without exploding into space. (Speaking of space, the Yamato did have limited firing from the [wave-motion gun](https://yamato.fandom.com/wiki/Wave-motion_Gun_(OS)) installed during a later refit.) ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2024, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yamato-musashi-battleship-quesion/1009096/6 "2024-10-24T07:24:10Z")
I know that there was a question above the effects of the blast from the big guns. Here’s [one sourse](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1953/october/design-and-construction-yamato-and-musashi). > [@](#): > > #### Terrific Blast of 18-Inch Guns > > Terrific effects were anticipated on numerous installations aboard the _Yamato_ by her huge gun blast. While the blast of two 16- inch guns simultaneously firing was figured 3.5 kg./cm.2 at a point 15 meters from the guns’ muzzles, that of the _Yamato’s_ three 18- inch guns was approximately 7.0 kg./cm.2 at the same distance. This was an immense figure, since it was believed that the blast pressure of 0.28 kg./cm.2 was capable of destroying boats on board the ship and that of 1.16 kg./cm.2 of tearing the clothing from men and rendering them temporarily unconscious. > > This meant that nowhere on her weather deck could any boat be safely kept while her main batteries were firing—AA guns as well as AA machine guns had to be protected by a shield from the blast of the main batteries. Vedette boats, other launches, and cutters were to be kept inside of the boat hangars which were installed on both sides of the stern. Ventilators on the weather deck were reduced to a minimum and installed at places where the blast was least effective. The idea of protecting AA batteries from the blast by shields, enabling them to fire while the main batteries were in use, greatly restricted the installation of the antiaircraft weapons. After the outbreak of the war, however, the importance of powerful antiaircraft weapons was keenly, and later bitterly, realized. This restriction was then lifted, and many machine guns were installed on the weather deck without a shield to protect them from the blast. It doesn’t specifically mention that only one turrent could be fired at a time, and I don’t seem to recall that specifically. ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2024, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yamato-musashi-battleship-quesion/1009096/7 "2024-10-24T08:31:51Z")
Back in '85 on a NATO deployment we got to witness USS IOWA doing a full firepower demonstration, the final part of which was a full broadside. > [@Mk\_VII](#): > > The Iowas fired with a slight delay between the barrels to prevent one projectile’s flight interfering with the next. Cool, I did not know that and it would be interesting to know the length of the delay. Btw, the 16 in rounds were visible in flight. ---
**Author:** ![yendis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ed8c4c/32.png) [@yendis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yendis)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2024, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yamato-musashi-battleship-quesion/1009096/8 "2024-10-24T09:21:35Z")
The delay on Iowa’s guns was a .06 seconds from what i can find with a quick google. The othe way to minimise shell’s interfering with eachother in flight was to stagger the arrangement of the guns in the turret. I.e. on a 3 gun turret the middle one sticks out just a bit further. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2024, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yamato-musashi-battleship-quesion/1009096/9 "2024-10-24T16:34:58Z")
The gunners must take care about firing the guns non-simultaneously. A side gun fired by itself can put torque on the turret ring. At best, this reduces accuracy. At worst, it can damage the traversing gear. I’m guessing that the two side guns fire simultaneously but the middle gun is either fired sooner or delayed. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2024, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yamato-musashi-battleship-quesion/1009096/10 "2024-10-24T16:42:41Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > (Speaking of space, the Yamato did have limited firing from the [wave-motion gun](https://yamato.fandom.com/wiki/Wave-motion_Gun_(OS)) installed during a later refit.) I wonder if t here’s an alternate universe that has a cartoon about the Battleship Musashi being turned into a space ship. ---
**Author:** ![txtumbleweed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@txtumbleweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/txtumbleweed)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2024, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yamato-musashi-battleship-quesion/1009096/11 "2024-10-24T21:42:38Z")
I don’t recall seeing any limitations on a full broadside. I could imagine that the turret firing arcs were limited, especially when firing within a few points of the bow or stern or “over the shoulder” where the blast could affect the bridge. They could be firing at a reduced rate to watch for fall of shot and adjusting fire. No mention of firing arc restrictions for any of the BB’s reviewed. [http://www.combinedfleet.com/f\_guns.htm#4](http://www.combinedfleet.com/f_guns.htm#4)