World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseArashio had been a member of Japanese Navy's Destroyer Division 8 since the opening of the Pacific War. Between 4 and 24 Dec 1941, she acted as distant cover for Admiral Nobutake Kondo's Southern Force Main Body during the invasion of Malaya and the Philippine Islands. Between 31 Dec 1941 and 5 Jan 1942, she escorted troop transports from Mako, Pescadores in the Taiwan Strait to Singora, Thailand, then put into Hong Kong. On 11 Jan, she escorted a troop convoy to Davao, Philippine Islands. From late Jan until late Feb, she served with Japanese forces among the Dutch East Indies, including participating in a very minor role in the Battle of Badung Strait. Returning to Yokosuka, Japan on 25 Mar, her division was assigned to Destroyer Squadron 4 of the Second Fleet on 10 Apr. Between 24 Apr and 18 May, she assisted in the blockade and attack on Corregidor, Luzon, the final American stronghold in the Philippine Islands. Between 22 and 26 May, she escorted Cruiser Division 7 from Kure, Japan to Guam, Mariana Islands.

ww2dbaseDuring the Battle of Midway, Arashio was a member of Admiral Takeo Kurita's Support Group. During that battle, while rescuing the survivors of Mikuma on 6 Jun 1942, she was strafed by American aircraft and hit by one bomb, killing 37 men and wounding Commander Ogawa Nobuki of Destroyer Division 8. American airman Clayton Fisher recalled that Arashio "did not put up any AA probably because of survivors exposed on the open deck". She was able to recover, escorting the wounded heavy cruiser Mogami to Truk in the Caroline Islands with 240 Mikuma survivors on board, arriving on 14 Jun. She was repaired at Truk and Sasebo, Japan until 20 Oct.

ww2dbaseReturning to Destroyer Division 8, Arashio sailed from Sasebo to Rabaul on 12 Nov. In the Solomon Islands region, she made several trips from Rabaul, delivering troops to Buna, New Guinea and delivering supplies to Guadalcanal. In early Feb 1943, she participated in the evacuation of Guadalcanal. On 20 Feb, she rescued survivors of Asashio-class sister ship Oshio, which had been torpedoed by American submarine USS Albacore near Manus, Admiralty Islands. On 25 Feb, Destroyer Division 8 was reassigned to Destroyer Squadron 3 of the Eighth Fleet.

ww2dbaseOn 3 Mar 1943, Arashio was a member of a 8-ship escort for 8 troop transports attempting to sail from Rabaul to Lae, New Guinea under the protection of foul weather. En route to New Guinea, she was engaged in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, where she was ravaged by skip-bombing (three hits) and strafing. In the heat of the battle, she rammed the special troop transport Nojima, which disabled her. Dead in the water, she was abandoned with 176 survivors, who were rescued by destroyer Yukikaze; American aircraft later returned to sink the hulk in the Dampier Strait about 55 miles southeast of Finschhafen. Her captain, Commander Hideo Kuboki, who had been in command since Sep 1941, was killed during this final battle.

Destroyer Arashio Interactive Map

Photographs

Arashio Operational Timeline

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