Prior to the Battle of the Bismark Sea, the commander of Des Div 8, Yasuo Sato exchanged a promise with the captain of fleet collier Noshima, that should one of them be in a pinch, the other party will come to its aid. This was what led Sato to turn his flagship Asashio back to rescue survivors from the sinking Noshima after the battle, disobeying commander Masatomi Kimura's order to stop all rescuing efforts and retreat immediately. Sato telegraphed Kimura, explaining: "I have a promise with the captain of Noshima, we will rescue her survivors before retreating." After rescuing survivors from Noshima and nearby Arashio, Asashio headed north in an attempt to escape but was caught in a second raid from Allied aircraft and sank. The captain of Noshima survived and was picked up by Ro-101 three days later. Sato, on the other hand, chose to sink with Asashio saying "I'm tired. Just let me rest peacefully here. Go, you guys should hurry up and evacuate now." This promise was referenced in the game by Asashio's 2016 Spring lines.
If one of us is in a pinch, the other one will come and help, got it?Nojima"As I have a promise with the cargo ship Noshima, I will rescue its survivors before retreating."The commander of DesDiv 8, Yasuo Sato sent the telegraph above, disobeying orders to suspend rescue operations. After rescuing the survivors, Asashio headed north in an attempt to escape but was caught in a second raid from Allied aircraft and sank.
In the end, the two ships met the same fate.
