In April 1945, the Yamato , the pride of Japan's fleet, sailed to a solo confrontation with the 1,500-strong United States Navy.

In April 1945, the largest battleship ever built set out on the ultimate suicide mission. With its crew of 3,000, Yamato , the pride of Japan's fleet, sailed to a solo confrontation with the 1,500-strong United States Navy. Attacked by a swarm of U. S. dive bombers, the battleship sank within minutes. A NOVA team discovers the wreck and retells the Yamato 's extraordinary saga through the eyes of the few Japanese crewmembers who survived the sinking. State-of-the-art CGI animation shows viewers what the colossal battleship was like in all its glory at the time of its launching. The program provides a dramatic perspective on the great age of battleships and why it ended so abruptly with the Yamato 's disastrous sinking.