Destroyer Ushio

Ushio was an Ayanami-class destroyer (Fubuki Type II) built by Uraga Dock Company, laid down 24 December 1929, launched 17 November 1930, and commissioned 15 November 1931.

At the outbreak of the Pacific War, Ushio belonged to Destroyer Division 7. She did not accompany the carriers to Pearl Harbor; instead she was part of the small diversionary force that bombarded Midway Atoll in the opening hours of the war. In early 1942 she fought in the Dutch East Indies, including the Battle of the Java Sea, where she helped finish off the damaged submarine USS Perch.

Throughout 1942 and 1943, Ushio served across the Pacific, taking part in the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Midway operation and the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, and escorting carriers and battleships — surviving through a combination of skill, luck, and timely repairs. In October 1944 she took part in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. During the air raids on Manila in November 1944 her starboard engine was disabled and 23 of her crew were killed; she received temporary repairs at Singapore and returned to Japan.

She was still afloat at the surrender in August 1945 — the only one of the twenty Fubuki-class destroyers to survive the war, a remarkable feat given the class's near-total attrition. Ushio was removed from the navy list in September 1945 and broken up for scrap in 1948.