How thick was the Yamato's armor?
William Rodriguez
Published Jan 13, 2026
The ship's steel armor weighed 23,000 tons—more than 30 percent of Yamato's total weight. The Imperial Navy developed new ways to harden steel and otherwise improve armor technology for the ship. Plates of armor 25 inches thick—the heaviest armor ever mounted on a warship—shielded the turrets of her main guns.