Hiei was a battleship of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Masao Nishida became her captain on 10 September 1941 and was still in command when she was lost on 13 November 1942. On 7 December 1941 she served in the screen for the Attack on Pearl Harbor. She was not hit.
On 1 March 1942 she was in the surface force that overwhelmed Edsall, and she fired on that ship. The force fired more than 1,300 shells. Only one or two hits are credited to the gunfire before the air strike. Hiei is counted with the ships of the force that sank Edsall.
Her last battle was the night action of the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. In the night of 12–13 November 1942 she was torpedoed and disabled. Destroyers hit her, and she hit back. Sterett claimed two torpedo hits on her in that night action.
She was sunk on 13 November 1942. Aircraft and other ships finished her the next day, after the night's torpedo damage. The loss is not credited to Sterett alone. Captain Nishida was in command when she went down.