The Yamato Memorial Returns

 

 

Battleship fans will know about a number of ships, among them the Yamato. This symbol of Imperial Japanese might served from December 1941 to April 1945, when it was sunk in the Imperial Navy's last major operation in World War Two, the sinking sometimes considered a metaphor for the end of the Japanese Empire.  The ship would live on in poetry, as well as the "Star Blazers" anime.

Second Life has its own version of the Yamato. First appearing around 2008 or 2009, it's vanished and reappeared a few times over the years. The Newser last wrote about the sim-long vessel five years ago in March 2018. 

The ship would once again vanish some time later. But I was told by a friend recently it's back, alongside the carrier Akagi and the cruser Myoko. While you can't go below decks, it's still one of the most impressive ships in Second Life.

 http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/YAMATO%20Memorial/172/50/26

 

Hat tip: Anne Brightstar

 

Bixyl Shuftan

 

Cartoon of the Day: Ironclad Misconceptions

Taken at Sunweaver Space on "Talk Like a Pirate Day" (Sept 19). The USS Monitor when designed and built was highly unusual compared to wooden warships at the time. Besides it being made of iron, it's low profile and rotating turret made it look like a "cheesebox on a raft." While the term was made to poke fun at it, this "pie rat," would see it as complementary.

By Bixyl Shuftan

The Yamato Memorial

Some battleships live on in history, such as the Missouri and the Bismark. For Japan, the one that lives on in their memory is the Yamato. The vessel is noted for two things. It was the the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleship. But it is also remembered for it's final voyage, a one-way mission which was a last-ditch attempt to defend it's homeland. The ship has been in and out of Second Life a few times over the years. Recently, it came back after an absence of several months. It's not the only warship in the area, but there are others worth seeing.

Read more in Places.

Reader Submitted: WW2 RP at Sea

Submitted by Lt. Kpt. Erich Hartmman (Hartmman Resident) of the Kriegsmarine, two German warships at the Scapa Flow sim.

The USS Helena (CA-75)

In the Trees sim, by a peir a US warship floats proudly, the CA-75 USS Helena. The ship isn’t owned by just anyone, but by a sailor who once served on it, Henry Borgnine, whom was stationed on the ship during the Korean War. Most of the building has been done by a vet of the Afghanistan Campaign, Bobcatt Neilsen. Together, they have planned, and built, and although not quite finished, the ship is already a spectacular sight.

To read the story, go to Places.