World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseLike many of her sister ships of the Asashio-class destroyers, Oshio was assigned to Destroyer Division 8 upon commissioning. Between 4 and 24 Dec 1941, she acted as distant cover for Admiral Nobutake Kondo's Southern Force Main Body during the invasion of Malaya and the Philippine Islands. Between 31 Dec 1941 and 5 Jan 1942, she escorted troop transports from Mako, Pescadores in the Taiwan Strait to Singora, Thailand, then put into Hong Kong. On 11 Jan, she escorted a troop convoy to Davao, Philippine Islands. From late Jan until late Feb, she served with Japanese forces among the Dutch East Indies, including participation in the Battle of Badung Strait, where she sank Piet Hein and damaged Tromp and USS Stewart while taking on some shell hits and suffering 7 dead. Between 22 Feb and 10 Apr, she received repairs at Makassar, Celebes. On 10 Apr, Destroyer Division 8 was reassigned to Destroyer Squadron 4 of the Second Fleet, but Oshio needed further repairs in Japan, which was done at Yokosuka between 15 May and 29 Dec. On 20 Dec, Commander Hirose Hiromu was assigned the new captain of the ship, and 9 days later she departed Yokosuka to rejoin Destroyer Division 8 in the Solomon Islands. Between Jan and early Feb 1943, she made several supply runs, then evacuation runs, to Guadalcanal. On 13 Feb, she departed Rabaul with sister ship Arashio in escort of two transports destined for Wewak, New Guinea. En route, she was torpedoed by American submarine Albacore. Dead in the water, Arashio attempted to place Oshio in tow, but Oshio's keel fell apart, and she sank 70 miles northwest of Manus in the Admiralty Islands. Eight men were killed during this final attack on Oshio.

Oshio Operational Timeline