- Yes
- Maybe
- Unsure
- No
Note(s):
Due to a lack of information most of the information will be limited and mostly include changes, some information may in fact be from the actually Yamatos specification as some of the specifications are not given or found, images of the Yamato will also be used as Shinano is only a modified version and that one sources indicates she was the only Major warship to undergo construction in the 20th century and not get photographed as only 2 images of her were ever taken and I am unable to find one of them, this is due to how Japan made sure of no one learning of their true existence until they were completed and even then kept specifications secret and other ships of the class secret even after the first ship was seen
Background
IJN Shinano was the third ship of the Yamato class to be laid down in May 4th, 1940. Even though Shinano was a Yamato class ship her design was modified to improve over Yamato and Musashi, these changes would have mainly resulted in reducing the armor levels in order to add protection to the fire control positions and look out positions for the crew, the other big change was the secondary battery switching out the 127mm guns for the 100mm guns. It’s also worth mentioning the another ship of the Yamato class, warship Number 111 as No. 111 was designed to be like Shinano.
Somethings I would like to note about the Images above do compare the Yamato to the Shinano design and Warship 797 and the A-150 design (AKA Super Yamato) however note that Shinano was illustrated incorrectly as sources indicate that all of the 155mm guns would have stayed on the ship and that the turrets for the 127mm guns should not be their as that was the planned location for the 100mm guns however seeing as what Yamato underwent in terms of increase in AA battery only the wing 155mm gun turrets would have been removed if it was planned to do so.
History
Shinano:
Shinano was laid down in May 4th, 1940 as the 3rd ship of the Yamato class under the Hull designation “Warship 110”, as time again many have heard before with the result of Japan losing Akagi, Kaga, Sōryū and Hiryū at Midway in 1942 and as a result Shinano had her order changed from being completed as a battleship to a aircraft carrier when she was only 45% complete. She would be launched in early October, 1944 and would be completed on November 19th the same year. Interestingly even though she was completed as a Aircraft carrier which was something Japan desperately sought she was instead suppose to be a support ship oddly enough in order to help support other carrier rather than use her as a fleet carrier when she in fact was the largest carrier in the Japanese navy, her displacement would be so much that it would take the first US super carrier USS Forrestal for a carrier to be built which displaced more than her. As her hull was 45% complete she already had the armor she was planned to use on the hull and the IJN decided to leave the armor their meaning she was also heavily armored. After being completed on November 19th, 1944 she would be sunk 10 days after she was completed as she came under attack from US submarines with USS archer fish sinking her on November 29th, 1944, making her the largest vessel to ever be sunk by a submarine.
Warship No. 111:
Warship No. 111 was laid down in August 1940 and work would pause on her in December 1941 when Japan began to question their battleship building program, as with Shinano her fate was changed thanks to the loss of the 4 carriers at Midway and she would be canceled and scrapped in 1942 when she was 30% complete. The materials from her hull would be used to compensate for the loss of the carriers as her materials were used in the conversion of the Hyuga and Ise in hybrid carriers.
Changes with the Design with Shinano
- Reinforced bottom protection (triple layer of plating of 1 inch (25,4 mm) thick each but a third layer of only 0.5 inches down to 2 layers in more restricted space, all proof against a 300kg TNT mine.
- Added weight compensated by 10 mm thinner main belt plates and deck plates down 10 mm (190 mm) plus 540mm barbettes (20 mm less) compared to the Original design.
- Possible extension of the conning tower, as well as the flag bridge/flagship setup.
- Fuel storage revised
- 100mm/60cal Type 98 DP guns replace the older 127mm guns.
Specification: (Based off Yamato and Shinano)
Displacement:
Standard: 69,988 long tons (71,111 t)
Full load: 72,000 long tons (73,000 t)
Length:
Waterline: 256 m (839 ft 11 in)
Overall length: 263 m (862 ft 10 in)
Beam: 38.9 m (127 ft 7 in)
Draft: 10.4 m (34 ft 1 in)
Installed power:
12 × Kampon water-tube boilers
150,000 shp (110,000 kW)
Propulsion: 4 shafts; 4 steam turbines
Speed: 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph)
Range: 7,200 nmi (13,300 km; 8,300 mi) at 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Complement : 2,767
Armament:
Primary Armament:
9 × 40 cm/45 (15.7 in) Type 94 guns (3 x 3)
Secondary Armament:
12 × 15.5 cm/60 (6.1 in) 3rd Year Type guns (4 x 3)
Dual Purpose:
12 × 10 cm/65 (3.9 in) Type 98 guns (6 x 2)
Anti Air Armament:
24 × 25 mm/60 (1 in) Type 96 AA guns (8 x 3)
4 × 13 mm/76 (0.52 in) Type 93 machine guns (2 x 2)
Armor:
- 650 mm (26 in) on face of main turrets
Note: Sources seem to indicate that the armor of the main turrets were reduced but no values are given, source do indicate armor mostly went down 10 to 20mm where armor was reduced so the value may be between 640mm to 630mm of turret armor frontally
- 400 mm (16 in) main belt planned on Shinano and No. 111 (inclined 20 degrees)
- 190 to 220mm (7.5 to 8.7 in) armored deck
- 200 mm (8 in) Lower Armor Belt
- 590mm (23.2 in) Barbet Armor
Aircraft carried:
4 Aichi E13A, 3 Mitsubishi F1M
2 catapults
Sources:
Spoiler
naval encyclopedia - warships and naval warfare from antiquity to this day
Yamato-class battleship - Wikipedia
Image sources: