Battle of the Bismarck Sea
During the Battle of the Bismarck Sea on 1–4 March, "Shirayuki" was flagship for Rear Admiral Masatomi Kimura, leading a troop convoy from Rabaul to Lae. In an Allied air attack on 3 March, a skip-bomb exploded in her aft magazine, severing her stern, and killing 32 crewmen. "Shirayuki" sank southeast of Finschhafen at position . The survivors, who included Admiral Kimura and her captain Commander Sugawara were rescued by .