Q&A · 2:40:05-2:41:44

A fourth Yamato turret drives the ship toward 80,000 tons

Three additional 18-inch guns add far more than barrel weight because the hull, turret structure, machinery, and protection must all grow together.

Question

How large would Yamato become with a fourth triple 18-inch turret while retaining its speed?

Short answer

About 80,000 tons fully loaded, because the turret requires a larger hull, more structure, and additional power as well as the guns themselves.

Notes

Yamato already displaced roughly 72,000 tons fully loaded and made about 27 knots. A fourth triple turret adds about 450 tons in gun barrels before counting the rotating structure, barbette, magazines, and protection. Maintaining speed requires a longer hull and somewhat more power, so the added weight propagates through the whole design. A rough estimate places the result near 80,000 tons fully loaded. Adding one turret therefore becomes a system-wide redesign rather than a simple arithmetic increase.