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| Ed Boysun - 2/18/2026 14:12 Battleships and tanks are very vulnerable to air attacks. Japan had the largest battleship with the largest guns. The Yamato wielded 9 18.1 inch guns as compared to the 16 inchers on our largest ships. She was sent to the bottom by bombs and torpedoes launched by our planes as she raced towards Okinawa in an effort to beach herself and be used as a stationary gun platform for the defense of Okinawa. They had more of similar class in their production pipelines but the last of them was converted to an aircraft carriers and sunk too. Germany's Bismark was a huge battleship and it was disabled by Swordfish planes that were agonizingly slow, fabric covered bi-planes.
I think their day is long past.
Battleships with NO fighter cover and minimal other support fared very poorly against aircraft in WW2, that is true. And you forgot HMS Prince of Wales and Repulse, sunk in open water while maneuvering at top speed the same week as Pearl Harbor. It's ALSO true that battleships incorporated into a layered defense system with effective radars, directed fighter CAPS, picket destroyers, etc. were extremely effective ANTI-aircraft platforms circa 1943-45. No, they aren't viable or efficient for today, but they were then.
For comparison of antiaircraft armaments from early war to late war-
HMS Prince of Wales, December 10, 1941: 8 twin 5.25", 16 barrels 4x8 40mm pompoms, 32 barrels.
USS South Dakota and USS New Jersey cruising off Okinawa spring 1945- both 10 twin 5" 20 barrels with proximity fusing
South Dakota 15 quad mount 40mm Bofors 60 barrels, 80 Oerlikon 20mm
New Jersey 20 quad Bofors 80 barrels, 49 Oerlikons.
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Interesting World War II trivia
