biercemountain wrote:
Someone on Facebook posted a piece of artwork done by "World of Warships" that shows the Yamato at anchor with a good deal of rust on the hull. It struck me as odd and perhaps fanciful to depict her in such a state as I'd assume she was kept spic-n-span due to her status as pride of the fleet. I'd also imagine she would have been well maintained simply to keep her crew busy.
Perhaps upon returning from a long cruise she might have become a bit rusty but the art shows her more like the forlorn German fleet interned at Scapa Flow.
Anybody know how well she was maintained during the war?
Thanks.
Paul
Compared to the rest of the fleet, she was maintained comparatively well. But you must remember that she spent long months at Truk lagoon during the war, so it would not have been unusual for her to display some signs of wear. I believe that she was pretty well taken care of at Kure, and there is nothing I've read to lead me to think that she wasn't "spic and span" for her final mission in April 1945.
If you go to my Yamato website (see link below my signature) and look around, you will find a very VERY large photo of Yamato coming towards her mooring spot at Truk in 1943. That B&W photo does appear to show normal wear for a ship that has been months at sea in the tropics.
Here's a direct link to the photo:
http://www.battleshipyamato.com/Truk_1a_mini.JPG
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bucketfoot-al
Creator of the Yamato/Musashi Archive Photo Gallery
http://www.battleshipyamato.comdulce et decorum est pro patria mori