IJN Yamashiro was the Imperial Japanese Navy's second Fusō-class battleship She was laid down at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal on November 20, 1913. IJN Yamashiro launched on November 3, 1915, and commissioned on March 31, 1917. She was the first Japanese vessel equipped with aircraft catapults. The ship was named after the Yamashiro Province where Kyoto is located.
The IJN Yamashiro was reconstructed from December 1930 to March 1935. The original 24 coal-fired Mijabara boilers producing 40,000 hp were replaced with six new Kanpon oil-fired boilers producing 75,000 hp. Torpedo bulges were fitted, increasing beam from 94 feet to 100 feet, 6 inches. The stern was lengthened by 24 feet to improve the fineness ratio and restore lost speed. Deck armor was thickened to a total of 7 inches on three decks. Elevation of the main armament was increased from 30 degrees to 43 degrees. The fore funnel was removed, but converted later, the IJN Yamashiro differed slightly from its sister ship IJN Fusō in the arrangement of gun turrets; by altering the "dead angle" of "C" turret from forward training to aft, deck space was left for a larger superstructure. Eight 5-inch/40 heavy anti-aircraft guns were fitted, one twin mount on each side of the bridge forward, and the other pair of twin mounts high up on the tower structure aft
At the Battle of Surigao Strait on October 25, 1944, IJN Yamashiro came under attack and was sunk by U.S. naval forces, and the Australian Heavy Cruiser HMAS Shropshire, receiving four hits from destroyer torpedoes and numerous 14" and 16" shells from U.S. battleships. There were only around 10 survivors.
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