6. Aircraft & Catapults
The seven floatplanes Yamato carried were not fighter planes capable of
protecting her. They were designed for reconnaissance and to help direct
Yamato's guns to distant targets. The range of her big guns was so
enormous—25 miles—that spotter planes were essential for honing in
on enemy ships over the horizon. Two immense catapults—as tall as
six-story buildings when raised—launched the planes, and an equally
enormous crane lifted them from the water upon their return to the ship.
