Ayanami (綾波 "Twilled Waves") was the eleventh of twenty-four Fubuki-class destroyers, built for the Imperial Japanese Navy following World War I. When introduced into services, these ships were the most powerful destroyers in the world. They served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s, and remained formidable weapons systems well into the Pacific War.
Ayanami's final mission, on November 14–15, 1942, the Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal