Destroyer Hibiki

Hibiki (響, "Echo") was laid down at Maizuru Naval Arsenal on 21 February 1930, launched on 16 June 1932, and commissioned on 31 March 1933. She was the second ship of the Akatsuki class and is often described as the Imperial Japanese Navy's first all-welded warship — a pioneering construction technique that made her lighter than riveted contemporaries.

During the Pacific War, Hibiki participated in operations across the entire theatre: the Aleutian Islands campaign, the Guadalcanal campaign, numerous "Tokyo Express" transport runs, and convoy escort duties. She was damaged multiple times. On 12 June 1942, off Kiska, she was bombed by U.S. Navy PBY Catalina flying boats; near misses wrecked her bow, which later buckled in heavy seas, and repairs lasted until October. In September 1944 she was torpedoed by the submarine USS Hake, the explosion almost severing her bow again, and on 29 March 1945 she was disabled by a mine in the Inland Sea — damage that kept her out of Yamato's final sortie. Each time she was repaired and returned to service, earning a reputation for extraordinary resilience.

By war's end in August 1945, Hibiki was one of only a handful of Japanese destroyers still operational. On 5 July 1947, she was transferred to the Soviet Union at Nakhodka as part of Japan's war reparations. The Soviets renamed her Верный (Verniy, meaning "Faithful") and, on 5 July 1948, Декабрист (Dekabrist, "Decembrist"). She was retired on 20 February 1953 and was eventually expended as a target in the 1970s; her hulk lies off Karamzina Island near Vladivostok.

Hibiki's survival and transfer to a former enemy make her one of the most unique stories among IJN destroyers. In the popular game KanColle, she is depicted as both "Hibiki" in her IJN configuration and "Верный" in her Soviet refit form.