Destroyer Hatsuyuki

Hatsuyuki was a Fubuki-class destroyer built at Maizuru Naval Arsenal, laid down on 12 April 1927, launched 29 September 1928, and commissioned 30 March 1929. As one of the revolutionary "Special Type" destroyers, she carried the same formidable armament as her sisters — three twin 127mm turrets and three triple torpedo tube mounts — with a top speed of 38 knots.

Hatsuyuki participated in operations throughout the early Pacific War including patrols and escort duties across the South Seas. She was heavily involved in the Guadalcanal campaign from 1942, conducting Tokyo Express runs to reinforce Japanese garrisons on the island.

By mid-1943 she was operating from the Shortland Islands–Buin area at the southern end of Bougainville, which served as a key Japanese base for the Solomons campaign. On 17 July 1943, while she was at the Shortlands unloading passengers, the anchorage was struck by a U.S. Army Air Forces air raid. A bomb detonated her after magazine and she sank in shallow water at approximately 6°50′S 155°47′E. 120 men were killed, including 38 passengers, and 36 were wounded.

Her loss was part of the steady attrition of Japanese destroyer forces throughout 1943.