KURE, Hiroshima Prefecture--A massive lathe used to precision shape the main gun barrels of Japan’s mighty World War II battleship Yamato is now on public display at the Kure Maritime Museum here.

Comprising three ships—Yamato, Musashi, and Shinano—they featured unprecedented 18-inch guns capable of firing ... featuring extremely thick main armor decks to defend against heavy bombs ...

The legendary Yamato. The largest battleship in the world. She displaced 72,808 tons and was 263 meters or 863ft long. Her main guns could fire shells weighing 1.5 tons but despite her impressive ...

KURE, Hiroshima Prefecture--A massive lathe believed to have been used to fashion the main guns of Japan's mighty World War II battleship Yamato was in danger of becoming a rusting relic until a ...

Nine 18.1-inch Type 94 naval guns, mounted ... the course of the war. Yamato’s armor was astonishingly thick, with a 410mm belt along the waterline and 650mm on the main turret faces, designed ...