72,000 Ton Battleship: The Yamato-Class Were Truly Giants Like No Other

What You Need to Know: The Yamato-class battleships were the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleships ever constructed, designed by Imperial Japan before World War II to assert naval dominance. Comprising three ships—Yamato, Musashi, and Shinano—they featured unprecedented 18-inch guns capable of firing 3,200-pound shells over 25 miles.

-Despite their formidable design, all three were sunk by U.S. forces. Musashi was destroyed in 1944 during the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea after sustaining heavy bomb and torpedo damage.