User blog comment:TheAlphatheOmega/World of Warships Beta/@comment-27822411-20150313013045/@comment-25373667-20150313015902

Iowa>Yamato

South Dakota>Yamato

North Carolina=Yamato

You have to understand that the Yamato's were designed to counter the numerically superior US WWI fleet, which was armed mainly with 356mm guns, where Yamato's 460mm guns and 400mm belt armor would prove effective. The Japanese also anticipated that the US would go with a 14inch gunned fast battleship, almost battlecruiser, which Yamato would have no problem tearing up.

Of course, the problem arises when the US uses 16inch guns for their ships, which were almost equal to the 460 in terms of range and firepower, thus defeating Yamato's advantage. Carrier warfare also screwed the Yamato's, sinking both ships and restricting them from ripping apart the US fleet.

IMHO, the Yamato's, while impressive, strategically were a waste of money, manpower, and materials. The war could have been very different if instead of 3 70,000 ton battleships (Shinano was turned into a carrier late into construction), the IJN would have built 6 35,000 ton carriers. The US would have been screwed at Midway, with only three carriers against the new IJN fleet of likely 6-7 carriers.