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  • a Quora - USS Skate v. IJN BB Yamato

    From a425couple@21:1/5 to All on Sat Feb 1 13:04:10 2025
    XPost: sci.military.naval, aalt.war.world-war-two

    History of anything. ·
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    Posted by
    Onlyme

    Jan 17

    In the early hours of Christmas morning, 1943, American submarine USS
    Skate ambushed the Japanese Battleship Yamato 180 miles northeast of Truk.


    Skate detected Yamato at 27,300 yards and dove. Skate passed down the
    starboard beam of Yamato, turned, and at 0518 hours fired four stern
    torpedoes at 2,200 yards.


    The crew of Skate heard one explosion and a muffled explosion as one or
    two torpedoes hit Yamato on the starboard side near turret No. 3,
    ripping a hole that extended some 15 feet downwards from the top of the
    blister and longitudinally some 75 feet between frames 151 and 173.


    The upper turret magazines flooded through a small hole punched in the longitudinal bulkhead; the hole was caused by failure of the armor belt
    joint between the upper and lower side protection belts. The upper
    magazine for No. 3 turret flooded. Yamato took on about 3,000-tons of
    water, far more than anticipated by the designers of the side protective system. The transport mission was aborted. The follow-up depth charge
    attack by Yamagumo, Tanikaze, or both failed to hit Skate, which made
    its escape three hours later.


    Later, Yamamto arrived at Truk and received emergency repairs by repair
    ship Akashi which also prepared a damage assessment report. US Navy
    intercepted a message from Yamato that read "Hull damage summary
    resulting from torpedo attack. Details affecting armament and machinery
    will be submitted later. 1. Hole from frame 163 to 170. 11 meters in
    diameter above the 'bilge' [sic] and 5 1/2 meters below penetrating
    outer plates of 'bilge' [sic]."

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  • From a425couple@21:1/5 to Jim Wilkins on Wed Feb 5 19:06:22 2025
    XPost: sci.military.naval, alt.war.world-war-two

    On 2/2/25 15:00, Jim Wilkins wrote:
    "Jim Wilkins"  wrote in message news:vnmea9$bk7l$1@dont-email.me...

    Yamato's side armor consisted of an upper belt to stop shells and a lower
    one for torpedoes, with a simple unconnected butt joint between them supported inboard by angle iron attached to a thin nearly horizontal deck plate. Even a light weight aircraft torpedo could push the lower plate back and shear the joint open. ...
    ------------------------------------
    I finally found the armor joint drawing I was looking for, see page 29. https://www.fischer-tropsch.org/primary_documents/gvt_reports/USNAVY/ USNTMJ%20Reports/USNTMJ-200H-0745-0786%20Report%20S-06-2.pdf

    "16.1" V.H." is the upper armor and "8" - 3" N.V.N.C" is the tapered
    lower torpedo armor. Instead of an interlocking joint between the armor plates they were held in place only by countersunk screws part way into
    and rivets through the thin plate between them. Since rivets have to
    expand and deform without fracturing they are made from softer, lower strength steel that won't become brittle when rapidly chilled in the
    hole. The letters in the armor designations refer to strengthening heat treatments not possible for driven rivets.

    Shinano had the same side armor and sank from only 4 torpedoes, though
    the ship's huge volume took a long time to fill.

    Of course this was greatly influenced by the big reality,
    Japan was running out of everything important to war fighting,
    (because they were really LOSING!!)
    and in semi-desperation, the Shinano was ordered to sail
    across the "Inland Sea" (kinda 'sacreed Holly interior sea')
    without having the standard warship water tight doors
    installed yet. - - OPPS!

    Yamato and Musashi
    might have as well, the extra torpedoes may have only hastened the inevitable.

    Titanic sank because overstressed rivets failed and allowed hull plates
    to be pushed in, the estimate is by a finger width over 300 feet, ending about half way between the first and second funnels as witnessed and
    reported by surviving lead stoker Frederick Barrett. After his duty
    station flooded he was sent topside to help the short-handed lifeboat
    crews.


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