5. Anti-Aircraft Guns
When first outfitted in 1941, Yamato had only 24 small anti-aircraft
machine guns. By April 1945, anticipating an onslaught of Allied planes, the
Imperial Navy armed Yamato with more than 150 machine guns, most in
triple-mounted turrets. The majority of the guns shot 220 rounds per minute,
but a few stationed at the tower bridge fired at twice this rate. Unlike the
heavier artillery, the machine guns could tilt at 90-degree angles to aim at
planes directly overhead. But the crews manning these guns were among the most
vulnerable to direct enemy fire.
