[Krauter]

Damnit Duci I was gonna post that

I think if Yamato was the best, it would have survived the attack - still surrendered - and would be a museum ship today, defiantly pointing its massive guns toward the sky - retired as the heavyweight champion of the 7 seas.

So you're saying that the Japanese, a people who at the time (Not sure if it's still the thought today) thought surrender was worse than death, should have surrendered their most powerful battleship, carrying the name of Ancient Japan, should have surrendered to the U.S? And you're also saying that the U.S wouldn't have bombed or shot the crap out of as a target ship?

I don't mean to be offensive, but I think that that reasoning is slightly delusional.

Also, to say that because it was sunk it cannot be "the best" is kind of delusional too. As Torplexed pointed out, all battleships are doomed in the face of airpower. How would Iowa or Missouri, or King George V, or Nelson/Rodney, etc have faired against the equal number of attacking Japanese aircraft with the equal amount of escort ships?

Btw, why no love for the Musashi?

Mostly because Yamato carried the ancient name representing Japan. She was symbolical representation of Japan as a whole. That and she was the first .

I've never understood the design of the bridge/tower/superstructure.

It's called the "Pagoda" style superstructure, however that on the Yamato was an improved version (the ones found on the Kongo, Ise, Fuso and Nagato classes were from upgrades built on their original superstructures). Pagoda stye masts were built because it offered a taller platform to mount search lights (later radars) and gun directors. The higher you are, the further you can see.