Japan concentrated on Yamato and Musashi while the United States produced two North Carolinas, four South Dakotas, and several Iowas. Even a ship able to defeat one opponent faced an unfavourable problem if the enemy could bring two, four, or more modern battleships. This echoed a long-standing Royal Navy preference for arriving with overwhelming numerical strength. Fleet combat depended on available formations and cumulative firepower rather than a theoretical one-on-one comparison.
Notable Point · 42:36-43:54
Why fleet numbers mattered more than duels
A comparison with Yamato shifts attention from a single impressive ship to the American ability to field multiple modern capital ships together.