In this classification, a fast battleship must be able to keep pace with cruisers, which sets the contemporary threshold at 28 knots. Yamato's 27-knot speed places the class below that line. Lowering the threshold to accommodate one ship invites repeated exceptions for 26-knot and still slower designs until the term loses practical meaning. The aside gives viewers a compact lesson in why naval classifications need consistent criteria instead of case-by-case adjustment.
Notable Point · 1:08:26-1:09:57
Yamato and the 28-knot fast-battleship threshold
A 28-knot threshold places Yamato below the fast-battleship category and shows why naval classifications need stable boundaries.