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The reality is that it would have probably been a combination of things.

Had Yamato survived the war (let's say for the sake of argument that Japan didn't have the fuel to send her on her one-way suicide misson), she would have been relatively intact. I suspect that Yamato, stuck in port, would have absorbed a number of bombs from U.S. aircraft in the final months of the war, but it was shown that she could absorb that punishment and not be even nearly in danger of sinking.

So, the end of the war comes and Yamato becomes the main target ship at Bikini. Given what we have witnessed historically, she would have likely survived both tests.

My guess then is that after Yamato was thoroughly examined (and much useful data pertaining to surviving two atomic blasts is collected), she would be towed to deep water and be used as target practice (in part as to be denied to the Soviets as previously mentioned), first by Navy attack planes (bombs and rockets), then by surface craft, starting with DDs and working up all the way to the Iowa's. If Yamato was still afloat after all this abuse (and she might be, as much of her bouyancy would still be retained, much like Bismark after her pummeling), she would be finished off with torpedoes.

That is my guess as to what would happen. Just saying.


Cheers,

Bill

Correct. Saratoga survived the first detonation (Test "Able", the air-dropped ordinance) relatively intact. Test "Baker", however, being an underwater detonation, created a shockwave that pushed a huge volume of water out and slammed into the anchored ships in the lagoon...Saratoga's huge stack was knocked over, and her side stove in so badly from that battering that she was mortally damaged and sunk some time later, and several other large ships (BB Arkansas, the IJN BB Nagato, the KM Prinz Eugen) were sent to the bottom as well.

The shockwave was tremendous. The Baker test was very well-documented on film, so check it out. There is a famous still photo of the mushroom cloud taken at sea-level, and on the right side of the "stump" of the cloud you can clearly see a large ship (later identified as BB Arkansas) actually lifted up out of the water on it's side!


Cheers,

Bill