Destroyer Michishio

Michishio was an Asashio-class destroyer built at Fujinagata Shipyards (Osaka), laid down 5 November 1935, launched 15 March 1937, and commissioned 31 October 1937. The Asashio class was among the most powerful destroyer classes in the world when completed, yet none of its ten ships survived the Pacific War. Michishio served in numerous operations across the Pacific, beginning with the Dutch East Indies campaign, and later took part in the Leyte Gulf campaign.

By October 1944, Michishio was assigned to Vice Admiral Shoji Nishimura's "Southern Force" (Force C) — an element of the Japanese plan at Leyte Gulf, directed to advance through the Surigao Strait to attack the Allied amphibious fleet at Leyte.

In the night battle of 24–25 October 1944, Nishimura's column was first attacked in the strait by American PT boats and then by destroyers delivering massed torpedo attacks, before the survivors ran into the "crossed T" formed by the U.S. Seventh Fleet's old battleships and cruisers. Michishio was a victim of the destroyer attacks: she was struck by a torpedo fired by USS McDermut, left crippled, and then finished off by USS Hutchins, sinking on 25 October 1944 at approximately 10°25′N 125°23′E.

Surigao Strait was the last battleship-vs-battleship engagement in naval history. Michishio's wreck was located on 27 November 2017 by Paul Allen's research vessel RV Petrel, lying in about 380 feet of water near that of her sister ship Yamagumo.