Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 23:23-24:19

How knowledge of Yamato might revive the Montana class

Discovery of Japan's 18-inch guns would more likely drive completion of the 12-gun Montana design than an American 18-inch weapon.

BattleshipsMontana Class BattleshipsNaval IntelligenceUS NavyYamato Class Battleships
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Question

Would the United States have fitted 18-inch guns if it learned Yamato carried them?

Short answer

Probably not, but the information could have ensured that the 12-gun Montana class was built.

Notes

The United States already possessed a response in the planned Montana class: an enormous, heavily armed battleship unconstrained by the Panama Canal. Its twelve 16-inch guns offered a practical answer without opening another gun-caliber development program. Intelligence on Yamato's 18-inch battery would strengthen the political and operational case for putting Montana into the water. Construction of the existing design was therefore more likely than an American rush to a new 18-inch weapon.