Why Yamato could not pass through the Kiel Canal

Could Yamato or Musashi pass through the Kiel Canal?

Not in normal condition; their draft was too deep without major lightening or canal dredging.

The canal's roughly 9.5-metre permissible draft falls short of Yamato's roughly 10.4 metres. Beam and traffic clearance would also be awkward, but depth is the hardest constraint to work around. Passing the ship would require substantial lightening or major dredging. Strategic canals impose three-dimensional design limits, not simply a width test.