Japanese destroyer Michishio

The Asashio-class destroyers were larger and more capable that the preceding {{sclass|Shiratsuyu|destroyer|4}}, as Japanese naval architects were no longer constrained by the provisions of the London Naval Treaty. These light cruiser-sized vessels were designed to take advantage of Japan’s lead in torpedo technology, and to accompany the Japanese main striking force and in both day and night attacks against the United States Navy as it advanced across the Pacific Ocean, according to Japanese naval strategic projections.Peattie & Evans, Kaigun . Despite being one of the most powerful classes of destroyers in the world at the time of their completion, none survived the Pacific War.Globalsecurity.org, IJN Asashio class destroyers

Michishio, built at the Fujinagata Shipyards in Osaka was laid down on 5 November 1935, launched on 15 March 1937 and commissioned on 31 October 1937.{{cite web | url= http://homepage2.nifty.com/nishidah/e/stc0427.htm | title= Asashio class 1st class destroyers | last= Nishidah | first= Hiroshi | year= 2002 | work= Materials of the Imperial Japanese Navy | access-date= 2010-08-13 | archive-url= https://archive.today/20120721073917/http://homepage2.nifty.com/nishidah/e/stc0427.htm | archive-date= 2012-07-21 | url-status= dead }}

On commissioning, Michishio was assigned to support Japanese combat operations in the Second Sino-Japanese War from November to December 1937. However, following reports of operational problems with her sister ship {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Asashio|1936|2}}, she was withdrawn to Sasebo Naval Arsenal for modifications and replacement of her engines.

At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Michishio was assigned to Destroyer Division 8 (Desdiv 8), and a member of Destroyer Squadron 2 (Desron 2) of the IJN 2nd Fleet, escorting Admiral Nobutake Kondō's Southern Force Main Body out of Mako Guard District as distant cover to the Malaya and Philippines invasion forces in December 1941.{{cite web|url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/michis_t.htm |title=IJN Michishio: Tabular Record of Movement |author=Allyn D. Nevitt |year=1998 |publisher=combinedfleet.com |access-date=2008-02-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929083326/http://www.combinedfleet.com/michis_t.htm |archive-date=September 29, 2007 }}

Michishio escorted a troop convoy from Mako towards Singora, then put into Hong Kong on 5 January 1942. She escorted another troop convoy to Davao, and then accompanied the Ambon invasion force (31 January), the Makassar invasion force (8 February ) and the Bali/Lombok invasion force (18 February).

On the night of 19 February, Michishio participated in the Battle of Badoeng Strait. Michishio was guarding the transport Sagami Maru off Bali when an Allied fleet attacked. Michishio was caught in crossfire by four United States Navy destroyers and severely damaged, with 13 crewmen dead and 83 injured. She was towed by the destroyer {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Asashio|1936|2}} to Makassar for repairs.

In March, after emergency repairs at Makassar, Michishio returned to Yokosuka Naval Arsenal for further repairs, which lasted to the end of October. Returning to active duty at Rabaul at the end of October, Michishio was assigned to three "Tokyo Express" transport runs in early November. During the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on 14 November, she was damaged by United States Navy aircraft, and had to be towed to Shortland Island for repairs. However, field repairs proved impossible, and she was towed to Rabaul, then to Truk, and finally to Yokosuka, arriving on 17 March 1943.

Michishio remained under repair at Yokosuka Naval Arsenal to 14 November, during which time one of her main gun turrets was replaced by two triple Type 96 AA guns. She returned to Truk at the end of 1943 and escorted the cruisers {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Kumano||2}} and {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Suzuya|1934|2}} on a mission to Kavieng at the end of the year.

In January 1944, Michishio returned to Kure Naval District together with the battleship {{ship|Japanese battleship|Yamato||2}}, and escorted a troop convoy back to Truk at the end of that month. For the end two months, she served largely as escort for the battleship {{ship|Japanese battleship|Musashi||2}}

During the Battle of the Philippine Sea, Michishio was in Admiral Takatsugu Jōjima's “Force B”, but did not see combat during that battle. Afterwards, she assisted the torpedoed tanker Itsukushima Maru at Negros Island, and escorted the battleship {{ship|Japanese battleship|Fusō||2}} from Davao to Kure. She accompanied the battleship {{ship|Japanese battleship|Haruna||2}} in August from Sasebo to Singapore and then escorted supply convoys to Brunei.

During the Battle of Surigao Strait, Michishio was in Admiral Shōji Nishimura's Southern Force. On 25 October, she was struck by a torpedo fired by {{USS|McDermut|DD-677|6}}, and then finished off by {{USS|Hutchins|DD-476|6}} at position {{coord|10|25|N|125|23|E|display=inline, title}}.{{cite book | last = Brown | first = David| year = 1990 | title = Warship Losses of World War Two| publisher = Naval Institute Press| isbn = 1-55750-914-X}} Michishio was removed from the navy list on 10 January 1945.

Michishio's wreck was discovered along with sister Yamagumo on 27 November 2017 by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's research ship RV Petrel. The wrecks are 1 mile (1.6 km) apart in 380 ft (117 m) of water. Both wrecks are heavily encrusted with marine growth which, combined with their close proximity, made it impossible to distinguish the two.{{Cite web |url=http://rvpetrel.paulallen.com/ |title=Rv Petrel |access-date=2018-10-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180815042035/http://rvpetrel.paulallen.com/ |archive-date=2018-08-15 |url-status=dead }}

{{reflist}}

• {{cite book | last = D'Albas | first = Andrieu| year = 1965 | title = Death of a Navy: Japanese Naval Action in World War II | publisher = Devin-Adair Pub| isbn = 0-8159-5302-X}}
• {{cite book | last = Brown | first = David| year = 1990 | title = Warship Losses of World War Two| publisher = Naval Institute Press| isbn = 1-55750-914-X}}
• {{cite book | last = Hammel | first = Eric | author-link = Eric M. Hammel | year = 1988 | title = Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea : The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, Nov. 13–15, 1942 | publisher = Pacifica Press | location = (CA) | isbn = 0-517-56952-3 | url = https://archive.org/details/guadalcanaldecis00hamm }}
• {{cite book | last = Howarth | first = Stephen | year = 1983| title = The Fighting Ships of the Rising Sun: The Drama of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1895–1945 | publisher = Atheneum | isbn = 0-689-11402-8}}
• {{cite book| last = Jentsura | first = Hansgeorg | year = 1976 | title = Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945 | publisher = US Naval Institute Press | isbn = 0-87021-893-X }}
• {{cite book | last = Nelson | first = Andrew N. | year = 1967 | title = Japanese–English Character Dictionary | publisher = Tuttle | isbn = 0-8048-0408-7 | url = https://archive.org/details/modernreadersjap00nels }}
• {{cite book | last = Watts | first = Anthony J | year = 1967 | title = Japanese Warships of World War II | publisher = Doubleday | isbn = 978-0-3850-9189-3}}
• {{cite book | last = Whitley | first = M J | title = Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia | publisher = Arms and Armour Press | year = 2000 | location = London | isbn = 1-85409-521-8 }}

• [http://www.combinedfleet.com/asashi_c.htm CombinedFleet.com: Asashio-class destroyers]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070929083326/http://www.combinedfleet.com/michis_t.htm CombinedFleet.com: Michishio history]
• [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/japan/asashio-dd.htm GlobalSecurity.org: Asashio class destroyers]
• [https://archive.today/20120721073917/http://homepage2.nifty.com/nishidah/e/stc0427.htm Materials of the Imperial Japanese Navy]

{{Asashio class destroyer}}

{{Imperial Japanese Navy}}

{{October 1944 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Michishio}}

Category:Asashio-class destroyers

Category:Second Sino-Japanese War naval ships of Japan

Category:World War II destroyers of Japan

Category:1937 ships

Category:Maritime incidents in October 1944

Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Philippine Sea

Category:Shipwreck discoveries by Paul Allen

Category:Ships built by Fujinagata Shipyards

Category:2017 archaeological discoveries