The Japanese Yamato had the largest and most powerful main guns, firing 18.1-inch (460 mm) shells. The American Iowa class was armed with 16-inch (406 mm) guns, which were larger than the German Bismarck's 15-inch (38 cm) guns. The Yamato's guns had the greatest destructive potential due to their enormous size, while the Iowa's guns offered the advantages of accuracy and speed, and the Bismarck's guns were the least powerful of the three, though the ship itself was a formidable pre-war design. Y

The battleship Yamato's main guns were nine 46 cm (18.1 in)/45 caliber Type 94 naval guns, the largest guns ever fitted to a warship. These powerful cannons were arranged in three triple-gun turrets and fired shells with significant armor-piercing and destructive capabilities, although they were rarely tested against enemy battleships and proved ill-equipped for aerial warfare, despite the development of Type 3 anti-aircraft shells. Key features of the Yamato's main guns: Type 94 guns: The prima