I was asking hypotetical question, yust like this "Yamato vs. Iowa" is. Neither Yamato or Iowa ever saw each other, and it is same situation with their sister-ships. I think that Iowas never fired their main guns on enemy battleship during WWII.

Herald

Only real US-Jap battleship meetings would be Washington + South Dakota vs. Kirishima. Kirishima was sunk there by Washington, and South Dakota was heavily damaged (she closed on only 4500 m from Japanese fleet) and battle of Surigao strait, where admiral Kinkaid destroyed Japanese fleet under command of admiral Nishimura. Nishimura lost 2 battleships and 3 destroyers while 1 heavy cruiser is damaged and sunk by planes in the morning, while Shima lost 1 light cruiser and 1 destroyer.

I did. And none of what you said; changes anything I said one iota either on fact or outcome..

Halsey was under orders to "protect desant place" but in the order it was explicitly said that if he gets a chance to destroy some large Japanese fleet, that comes to first place. His only mistake was that he has not informed Kinkaid about that. Also, he informed Kinkaid of assembling TF 34 of fast battleships (4 fast battleships, 2 heavy cruisers, 3 light cruisers and 2 destroyer flotillas) which was to guard the strait, but he never assebled it, beacouse he thought that central fleet is retreating (also, US aviators reported much heavier losses of central Japanese fleet than were in reality), and that north Japanese fleet is too strong to allow him to divide forces, and he never informed Kinkaid about change in the plan.

How good was Yamato-class underwater protection? Mushashi took 26 torpedos and 30 bombs, while Yamato took "only" 10 torpedos and 5 bombs. Prince of Wales took 7 torpedoes and 5 bombs, while Repulse took 5 torpedoes (however, after 4 torpedoes it was already obvious that she will sunk). West Virginia was sunk after 6 torpedoes (Oklahoma took 15 torpedoes, but it was unnecessary).