The Secret Construction of the Musashi (Yamato Class Battleship)
When the Mitsubishi shipyard of Nagasaki started working on the battleship Musashi (Yamato Class), officials wanted the project to remain secret. Therefore, a giant curtain was erected to hide the work in progress. This giant curtain was made of hemp… A lot of hemp: The shield ended up weighing over 400 tons!
The Impact on the Fishing Industry
In fact, so much hemp was needed that it created a shortage of ropes for the fishing industry! That wasn’t the last time the Musashi damaged the Japanese fishing industry, however. When she was launched in 1940, she displaced so much water that a small (120cm) tsunami flooded part of Nagasaki and capsized several fishing boats! Those would be the only ships ever sunk by the Japanese battleship!
-RBM
