Yamato's extraordinary scale came at the cost of other possible priorities, including shipyard capacity, carriers and supporting forces. Finite industrial infrastructure made concurrent programmes difficult. The state might tolerate severe debt yet still lack enough yards and production plant to build several major programmes at once. A navy's combat power therefore depends on its production base and logistics as much as on the headline specifications of its largest ship.
Notable Point · 1:51:19-1:54:48
Yamato and the infrastructure choice behind capital ships
Yamato illustrates how building an exceptional capital ship can constrain the wider infrastructure needed for a balanced wartime fleet.