![Decrease font size](/images/icon_font_small.jpg)
![Reset font size](/images/icon_font_medium.jpg)
![Increase font size](/images/icon_font_large.jpg)
Yamashiro
Country | Japan |
Ship Class | Fuso-class Battleship |
Builder | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal |
Laid Down | 20 Nov 1913 |
Launched | 3 Nov 1915 |
Commissioned | 31 Mar 1917 |
Sunk | 25 Oct 1944 |
Displacement | 34,700 tons standard; 39,154 tons full |
Length | 698 feet |
Beam | 100 feet |
Draft | 32 feet |
Machinery | 6 Kampon boilers, Kampon turbines, 4 shafts |
Power Output | 75,000 shaft horsepower |
Speed | 25 knots |
Crew | 1,800 |
Armament | 2x3x356mm guns, 2x2x356mm guns, 4x2x127mm Type 89 dual purpose guns, 17x1x25mm AA guns, 16x2x25mm AA guns, 8x3x25mm AA guns, 16x13.2mm machine guns |
Contributor: C. Peter Chen
ww2dbaseYamashiro was the second of two Fuso-class battleships, but was the first Japanese battleship equipped with aircraft catapults. Between Dec 1930 and Mar 1935, she undergone a modernization that replaced her boilers, added aircraft handling facilities, and added better armor protection, particularly against torpedo attacks. After this modernization, her appearance became rather different than her sister ship Fuso: the pagoda-style tower was larger after being extended further aft, which required that the stowed position of Turret 3 in the aft position, as opposed to forward as on Fuso. Between 15 Nov 1934 and 15 Nov 1935, she was under the command of Captain Chuichi Nagumo, of later carrier warfare fame.
ww2dbaseDuring the first few months of the Pacific War, Yamashiro remained largely in Japan, often at the Combined Fleet's anchorage at Hashirajima in Hiroshima Bay. Between 15 Sep 1939 and 1 Sep 1942, she was commanded by Captains Aritomo Goto, Teizo Hara, Masaki Ogata, and Chozaemon Obata. On 29 May 1942, she sailed with the fleet that provided distant cover, and saw no action. In Aug 1942, after the great losses at the Battle of Midway, the Fuso-class was considered candidates to be converted as battleship-carrier hybrids, with construction scheduled to start in Jun 1943, but the plan was eventually abandoned. Between Sep 1942 and Mar 1943, she was under the command of Captain Noboru Owada, followed by Captain Mikio Hayakawa until 2 Aug 1943. In Jul 1943, she was fitted with a Type 21 radar. In Sep, she was designated as a midshipmen training ship. In Jul 1944, she received 66 25-mm anti-aircraft guns, 16 13.2-mm machine guns, 2 Type 13 radars, and 2 Type 22 radars. Between 2 Aug and 25 Dec, she was under the command of Captain Soijiro Hisamune. The following commanding officer, Captain Yoshioki Tawara, died of natural causes on 5 May 1944; Captain Katsukiyo Shinoda took command on the following day.
ww2dbaseIn Oct 1944, Yamashiro sailed as the flagship of Admiral Shoji Nishimura's Southern Force which engaged in the Battle of Surigao Strait. At 0321 on 25 Oct, she was hit by a torpedo on her port quarter, which forced two magazines to be flooded to prevent an explosion, which led to the disabling of two main gun turrets. At 0331, another torpedo hit hit amidships and forced the ship to slow to the speed of 5 knots; she was eventually able to get back to 15 knots. When she entered the strait, she became the focus of concentrated battleship and cruiser gunfire. She was hit many times by shells, and was able to damage a destroyer with her return fire. She attempted to flee the scene of battle as American gunfire slowed, but was caught by a destroyer and was hit by two torpedoes by 0409. She sank at 0419. Shinoda was killed in action, and only three men were rescued.
ww2dbaseSources: Imperial Japanese Navy Battleships 1941-45, Wikipedia.
Last Major Revision: Oct 2008
Battleship Yamashiro Interactive Map
Photographs
![]() | ![]() |
Yamashiro Operational Timeline
31 Mar 1917 | Yamashiro was commissioned into service. |
15 Nov 1934 | Captain Chuichi Nagumo was named the commanding officer of the battleship Yamashiro. |
Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you. Share this article with your friends: Stay updated with WW2DB: |
Visitor Submitted Comments
23 Jun 2011 09:27:33 PM
i am a yamashiro and in relation to capitan H. Yamashiro i love just being a little conceded and seeing my family name which means mountain as one of the top 40 best battle ships of all time
24 Nov 2011 01:27:25 AM
The IJN Yamashiro (pretty sure its not Fuso) has been found by side scan sonar at about 200 meters depth. The diver who claimed to have dived it has pretty much been unmasked as a fraud. Don't believe everything you hear about shipwrecks.
28 Oct 2013 07:49:33 PM
My dad, who is now 92, was a lieutenant on the USS Albert W. Grant, the destroyer which pressed the attack on the Yamshiro to ranges of within 1700 yards, the only U.S. ship to fire all 10 of her torpedos. The Grant was heavily damaged by Japanese and friendly fire, but she survived. The Yamashiro did not.
All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB.
![](/images/icon_amz_prime_trial_200x80.png)
» Hironobu
» Daigo, Tadashige
» Goto, Aritomo
» Kusaka, Jinichi
» Kusaka, Ryunosuke
» Nagumo, Chuichi
» Nishimura, Shoji
» Ota, Minoru
Event(s) Participated:
» Battle of Midway and the Aleutian Islands
» Philippines Campaign, Phase 1, the Leyte Campaign
Related Books:
» Imperial Japanese Navy Battleships 1941-45
Partner Sites Content:
» Yamashiro Tabular Record of Movement
- » 1,150 biographies
- » 337 events
- » 43,556 timeline entries
- » 1,240 ships
- » 349 aircraft models
- » 207 vehicle models
- » 372 weapon models
- » 123 historical documents
- » 259 facilities
- » 469 book reviews
- » 28,458 photos
- » 432 maps
Thomas Dodd, late 1945
30 Jun 2009 04:28:10 PM
I would like to add that the wreck of the BB Yamashiro has been found and several profesional divers have dived to her decks. Supposidly the waters around her are extremly dangerous and un predictable. Im not sure ether but a part of BB Fuso may have been discovered.