Destroyer Shiranui

Shiranui was a Kagerō-class destroyer built by Uraga Dock Company, laid down 30 August 1937, launched 28 June 1938, and commissioned 20 December 1939. As flagship of Destroyer Division 18 she sailed from the Kurile Islands with the escort of Admiral Nagumo's carrier strike force for the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, although the attack itself was carried out entirely by aircraft. She continued to operate with the fleet in the first half of 1942, including the Midway operation.

On 5 July 1942, off Kiska in the Aleutians, the submarine USS Growler torpedoed three destroyers of her division. Shiranui's entire forward section — bow, No. 1 turret and bridge — broke off and sank, though only three of her crew were killed. She was towed home and under repair at Maizuru Naval Arsenal until 15 November 1943, and so missed the Guadalcanal campaign entirely.

During the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944, Shiranui belonged to Vice Admiral Shima's force, which followed Nishimura's battleships into Surigao Strait on the night of 24–25 October. After the catastrophic defeat there, in which the battleships Fusō and Yamashiro were sunk, Shima's ships fired torpedoes without result and withdrew.

On 27 October 1944, Shiranui was sent to search for the missing light cruiser Kinu and destroyer Uranami. About 80 miles north of Iloilo, Panay, she was attacked by dive-bombers from the carrier USS Enterprise and sunk with all hands, together with any survivors she had picked up.