Every Asashio-class destroyer was lost during the Second World War. Complete destruction does not by itself prove a poor design: useful ships can become the first choice for major operations and repeatedly face the greatest risks. Damage on aircraft that returned from combat identifies hits they could survive, while areas never damaged on survivors may have caused fatal losses. Ship losses likewise need to be considered alongside the operations in which they occurred. The class's employment in major battles and campaigns supports the argument that it repeatedly received demanding assignments.
Notable Point · 1:27:50-1:31:13
What Asashio's wartime losses can tell us
Heavy Asashio losses are considered alongside the risk of judging a design solely by which ships survived a hard-fought war.