Asashio was the name ship of her class. Sasebo Naval Arsenal launched her on 16 December 1936, and she was commissioned on 31 August 1937. The photograph is an overhead view of her under air attack in the Bismarck Sea. The picture below shows her earlier, with her name painted on the hull.
At Midway she was with the cruisers Mikuma and Mogami. On 5 June Mogami rammed Mikuma. On 6 June aircraft from Enterprise and Hornet sank Mikuma. That sinking is not credited to Asashio, and not to one carrier. A bomb hit Asashio the same day. She was not sunk. She and Arashio took survivors off Mikuma.
On 3 March 1943, in the Bismarck Sea, Allied aircraft sank her while she was picking up survivors from Arashio and from the transport Nojima. The sinking is not credited to one plane. Motor torpedo boats attacked wrecks after dark. They are not credited with her loss.
The same aircraft sank the transports and three other destroyers: Shirayuki, Arashio, and Tokitsukaze. Yukikaze, Asagumo, Shikinami, and Uranami got away with survivors. No Allied warship was in the daylight fight.
