The passage places Yamato, six other battleships, carriers, cruisers, destroyers, seaplane carriers, and midget submarines inside the protected Hashirajima anchorage. It also exposes the gap between the battle fleet waiting for a decisive surface action and aviators who mocked it as the Hashirajima fleet. The Navy Day departure, tied symbolically to Tsushima, conveys the confidence with which Nagumo's force sailed toward Midway.
Chapter · 2:06:34-2:12:56
The Battle of Midway opens with the Hashirajima fleet
A reading from The Battle of Midway inventories the Combined Fleet at Hashirajima and captures the confidence surrounding the May 1942 sortie.