"Hamakaze" was heavily involved in the fighting in 1943 in the Solomon Islands chain, including the battles of Kula Gulf, Kolombangara, and the 'Battle off Horaniu'. On 7 April 1945, "Hamakaze" escorted the battleship from the Inland Sea on her Operation Ten-Go attack on the Allied forces on Okinawa. She was sunk by aircraft of Task Force 58 and sank southwest of Nagasaki ().