Diesel endurance and the 1930s power-density problem

Could Japan have turned to diesels to match the power density of advanced British steam machinery?

Diesels would help range and steady power supply, but 1930s machinery would not provide the desired high-speed power density; a mixed electric-drive system remains a possible alternative.

Japanese interest in diesel machinery for the Yamato class raises the possibility of a diesel response to more powerful British steam plants. A disappointing Japanese diesel trial is mentioned, without identifying the trial ship. The objection is that 1930s diesels offer useful endurance but lack the power density needed for the desired high speeds. German plans for later high-speed diesels do not establish that such machinery was practical in the earlier period. Diesels are better suited here to steady base loads, while another source of power supplies the high-speed requirement. An electric-drive arrangement using diesel generators for base and hotel loads, with a separate power boost, is left as a possible alternative.