Japanese AA Weapon?

Sounds a bit more sophisticated than putting up waterspouts!

As I recall, Yamato did sortie, so presumably it did fire some guns,
though that is hardly certain. It could have been a species of
proactive scuttling.


"As were most Japanese warships, the Yamato and Musashi were provided with a
special anti-aircraft incendiary shrapnel shell officially designated as
"Type 3 Common" but nicknamed "San Shiki" (The Beehive). This round weighed
2,998 lbs. (1,360 kg) and was filled with 900 incendiary tubes made out of
rubber thermite and 600 steel stays. A time fuze was used to set the
desired exploding distance, usually about 1,000 meters (1,100 yards). These
projectiles were designed to burst in a 20 degree cone extending towards the
oncoming aircraft with the projectile shell itself being destroyed by a
bursting charge to increase the quantity of steel splinters. The incendiary
tubes ignited about half a second later and burned for five seconds at 3,000
degrees C, producing a flame about 5 meters (16 feet) long. "

Keith


all the best -- Dan Ford
email:

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com

Cub Driver writes:

As I recall, Yamato did sortie, so presumably it did fire some guns,

Japanese accounts that I have read mention that the weather was so
poor, with low cloud, that the attacking aircraft could not be seen
until they were already far too close to be engaged by the main
battery. The overwhelming importance of radar for ships against
aircraft....

--
G Hassenpflug * IJN & JMSDF equipment/history fan