Japanese Battleship Yamashiro

Yamashiro was a Fusō-class dreadnought battleships built for the Imperial Japanese Navy. Launched on 3 November 1915, she was completed on 31 March 1917.

Due to her age, Yamashiro played supporting roles in the early part of World War Two. At the Battle of Leyte Gulf, Yamashiro was part of Vice-Admiral Shōji Nishimura’s Southern Force. On the morning of 24 October 1944, she was attacked by carrier aircraft and ship listed by almost 15 degrees after a bomb’s near miss damaged the hull and flooded the starboard bilge, until counter-flooding in the port bilge righted the ship.

Early the next morning, Yamashiro, accompanied by Fuso was attacked by a force of US destroyers. Fuso was hit and fell out of formation, sinking between 03:38 and 03:50. Yamashiro was also hit by one or two torpedoes but after counter flooding to counter a list was able to continue.

During the subsequent night action of the Battle of Surigao Strait, Yamashiro was intercepted by a force of ten cruisers and six battleships. The action started at 03:52 and concluded at 04:19 when she sank. An estimated 1,626 officers and crew were killed in her sinking.