Yamato-class

Built by the Imperial Japanese Navy, the Yamato-class were intended to be the largest battleships afloat. Three hulls were built, although the last, IJN Shinano, was converted to an aircraft carrier. The 71,000 ships IJN Yamato and IJN Musashi did have 18.1" 45-caliber guns, which fired the largest shell of any battleship, although its armor penetration was no greater than the 16" 50-caliber guns on the U.S. Iowa-class.

The class was rated at having 27-knot maximum speed. While it probably had the best optical fire control ever built, its radar was considerably inferior to that of the U.S. Iowa and South Dakota-classes.

Their speed and size were more comparable to that of the cancelled U.S. Montana class; the Iowas were optimized for speed, maneuverabilility and fire control.