Asahi became a gunnery training ship, was rearmed with Japanese guns, and served as a divisional flagship. During the Siberian Intervention she escorted troop convoys to the Russian Far East and performed guardship duty at Kamchatka. Reclassification and Washington Naval Treaty compliance then transformed her into a coastal-defense, training, and submarine depot vessel. In 1942 she repaired the damaged light cruiser Naka at Singapore before departing for Japan. Submarine USS Salmon torpedoed her in the South China Sea, killing sixteen men before subchaser CH-9 rescued the captain and 582 crew. Japan also lost a mobile repair asset that extended fleet support beyond established bases.
Chapter · 46:20-49:02
From battleship to forward repair ship
After gunnery training and Siberian Intervention service, Asahi became a depot and repair ship whose loss reduced Japan's forward maintenance capacity.