Name Translation: "White Snow"

Initial Command Structure:
Ship's captain: Lieutenant Commander Sugawara Rokorou [51] (prev. C.O. YAKAZE). Assigned to Desdiv 11 (HATSUYUKI, SHIRAYUKI, FUBUKI), Desron 3, First Fleet.

20-26 November 1941:
Desdiv 11 steamed with Desron 3 from Kure to Samah (Hainan).

4 December 1941-30 January 1942:
Desdiv 11 escorted KUMANO, SUZUYA, MOGAMI and MIKUMA out of Samah and Camranh Bay in support of Malaya, British Borneo and Anambas Islands invasion operations; also briefly escorted troop convoys during this period.

27 January: Battle off Endau
Assisted SENDAI, ASAGIRI, YUGIRI, and FUBUKI in sinking of HMS THANET.

13-18 February:
Desdiv 11 with Bangka-Palembang invasion forces; took part in attacks on Allied shipping fleeing from Singapore: assisted in sinking or capture of at least four vessels.

27 February:
Desdiv 11 with Western Java invasion force.

28 February-1 March: Battle of Sunda Strait
Desdiv 11 assisted in sinking of HMAS PERTH and USS HOUSTON (CA-30). Minor damage: due to shell hit on bridge, one dead and 11 injured.

8-14 March:
Escorted troop convoy from Singapore towards Rangoon.

23 March:
Desdiv 11 escorted Admiral Ozawa's cover force for Andaman Islands invasion; then patrol/escort duties out of Port Blair during Japanese raids into Indian Ocean.

13-22 April:
Desdiv 11 steamed from Singapore via Camranh Bay to Kure, then docked for maintenance.

4-5 June: Battle of Midway
Desdiv 11 escorted Admiral Yamamoto's Main Body.

30 June-2 July:
Desdiv 11 escorted troop convoy from Kure to Amami-O-Shima, then antisubmarine patrolling there.

17-31 July:
Desdiv 11 steamed from Amami-O-Shima via Mako, Singapore and Sabang to Mergui (Burma) for Indian Ocean raiding operations, aborted due to Guadalcanal.

8-17 August:
Desdiv 11 steamed from Mergui via Makassar to Davao.

19-23 August:
Desdiv 11 escorted troop convoy from Davao to Truk.

25-27 August:
Desdiv 11 steamed from Truk to Rabaul.

27-29 August:
Desdiv 11 escorted transport SADO MARU from Rabaul to Shortlands, then troop transport run to Guadalcanal.

31 August:
Troop transport run to Guadalcanal.

2 September:
Attack mission to Guadalcanal (cover for TSUGARU troop transport run).

5 September:
Troop transport run to Guadalcanal.

8 September:
Attack mission to Guadalcanal.

13 September:
Gunfire support mission to Guadalcanal (Kawaguchi offensive).

15 September:
Troop transport run to Guadalcanal.

18 September:
Attack mission to Guadalcanal.

21 September:
Troop transport run to Guadalcanal.

1 October:
Troop transport run to Guadalcanal.

4 October:
Troop transport run to Guadalcanal.

7 October:
Troop transport run to Guadalcanal.

11-12 October:
Troop transport run to Guadalcanal; rescued survivors of MURAKUMO then scuttled with a torpedo.

14 October:
Troop transport run to Guadalcanal.

17 October:
Troop transport run to Guadalcanal.

26 October: Battle of Santa Cruz
On alert in Shortlands-area.

1 November:
Lieutenant Commander Sugawara promoted to Commander.

2 November:
Troop transport run to Guadalcanal. Minor damage: due to grounding off Kamimbo.

5 November:
Troop transport run to Guadalcanal.

6-9 November:
Escorted SENDAI from Shortlands to Truk; also carried Guadalcanal evacuees.

12-15 November: Naval Battles for Guadalcanal
Initially escorted Admiral Kurita's Support Force, then joined Admiral Kondo's Emergency Bombardment Force. With NAGARA in assault on enemy destroyers, assisted in sinking USS BENHAM (DD-397), USS WALKE (DD-416), and USS PRESTON (DD-379) and damaging USS GWIN (DD-433); then to Truk on 18 November.

29 November-4 December:
Aircrew transport run from Truk to Shortlands and Rabaul and back.

5-10 December:
Escorted HIYO from Truk to Kure, then docked for repairs.

21 December 1942-25 January 1943:
Escorted troop convoy (6^th Division Transport/Group B) during all or parts (record unclear) of its voyage from Shanghai via Truk (17 January) and Rabaul (24 January) to Shortlands. On 21 January assisted torpedoed transport KENKON MARU and rescued survivors. Between 22-24 January also with SENDAI from Truk to Rabaul, then carried Comdesron 3 (Rear Admiral Hashimoto Sentaro [41]) to Shortlands.

28 January:
Troop transport run to Russell Islands (cover).

1 February:
Troop evacuation run to Guadalcanal (cover). Removed Admiral Hashimoto from damaged MAKINAMI to become Desron 3 flagship for remainder of evacuation operations.

4 February:
Led troop evacuation run to Guadalcanal (cover). Briefly disabled by engine trouble but able to resume mission.

7 February:
Led troop evacuation run to Guadalcanal (cover).

25 February:
Desron 3 reassigned to Eighth Fleet.

1-3 March: Battle of the Bismarck Sea
Led escort of troop convoy from Rabaul towards Lae as flagship of Comdesron 3 (Rear Admiral Kimura Masatomi). Sunk: in Allied air attacks of 3 March, 55 miles southeast of Finschhafen (07-15 S, 148-30 E); skip-bomb exploded after magazine, severing stern, 32 dead. Survivors, including Admiral Kimura, Comdesdiv 11 (Captain Sugino Shuichi [46]) and Commander Sugawara (to Naval Personnel Dept.), rescued by SHIKINAMI.

1 April 1943:
Removed from Navy List.