Japanese destroyer Asashimo
Encyclopedia
was a of the Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
. She was sunk with all hands during Operation Ten-Go
Operation Ten-Go
was the last major Japanese naval operation in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Other renderings of this operation's title in English include Operation Heaven One and Ten-ichi-gō....
, while escaping with other escorts while both the and the were attacked and sunk by US aircraft, as were for the other destroyers.
Service career and fate
On 29 February 1944, while escorting a large convoy en route to Truk, Asashimo detected the making a night surface approach on the convoy. Rock fired a spread of four torpedoes from her stern tubes at the closing Asashimo without scoring a hit. Then illuminated by the destroyer's searchlight, and under fire from the ship's 5-inch (130 mm) guns, Rock dived. For 4 hours Asashimo continued depth charge attacks, without success. That night Rock surfaced and found that her periscopes were excessively damaged and that her bridge had been riddled with shrapnel. The damage necessitated a return to Pearl Harbor for repairs. Later that night, the busy Asashimo sank . Japanese records examined after the war indicate that one of their convoys, Matsu No. 1, was attacked by a submarine on 29 February 1944 in the patrol area assigned to . Carrying the 29th Infantry Division of the Kwantung Army from Manchuria to Guam, Matsu No. 1 consisted of four large transports escorted by three Yugumo-class destroyers of Destroyer Division 31: Asashimo, KishinamiJapanese destroyer Kishinami
was a of the Imperial Japanese Navy.On 2 December 1944, Kishinami departed Manila, escorting Hakko Maru back to Singapore. On 4 December she was torpedoed and sunk by west of Palawan Island...
, and Okinami
Japanese destroyer Okinami
was a of the Imperial Japanese Navy.On 13 November 1944, Okinami was sunk in a U.S. air raid on Manila. Suffering one direct bomb hit and several near-misses; she sank upright in shallow water eight miles west of Manila .-External links:...
. The submarine badly damaged one large passenger-cargo ship and sank the 7,126-ton transport Sakito Maru. Asashimo detected the submarine and dropped 19 depth charges. Oil and debris came to the surface and the destroyer dropped a final depth charge on that spot. The submarine was using Mk. XVIII electric torpedoes, and it was also possible that one of those had made a circular run and sunk the boat, as happened with .
On 6 April 1945, Asashimo escorted the battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
Yamato
Japanese battleship Yamato
, named after the ancient Japanese Yamato Province, was the lead ship of the Yamato class of battleships that served with the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. She and her sister ship, Musashi, were the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleships ever constructed, displacing...
from the Inland Sea on Operation Ten-Go
Operation Ten-Go
was the last major Japanese naval operation in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Other renderings of this operation's title in English include Operation Heaven One and Ten-ichi-gō....
towards Okinawa. She was sunk with all hands, a total of 326 crewmen, on 7 April by aircraft of Task Force 58, of after falling astern of the Yamato task force due to engine troubles, 150 miles (275 km) southwest of Nagasaki. The others, including Hamakaze
Japanese destroyer Hamakaze
was a of the Imperial Japanese Navy.On 7 April 1945, Hamakaze escorted the battleship from the Inland Sea on her Operation Ten-Go attack on the Allied forces on Okinawa. She was sunk by aircraft of Task Force 58 and sank 150 miles southwest of Nagasaki .-External links:**...
, were sunk during the same attack, also by aircraft of San Jacinto, but several destroyers, such as Suzutsuki
Japanese destroyer Suzutsuki
was an Akizuki-class destroyer of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Her name means "Clear Moon ".On 6–7 April 1945, Suzutsuki escorted from the Inland Sea on her attack mission against the Allied forces fighting on Okinawa. Her bow was torn off by a torpedo from aircraft of Task Force 58, but survived...
survived with heavy damage. Asashimo was sunk at (31°N 128°E).