Talk:Hatsushimo/@comment-36.74.123.249-20150124022122/@comment-25257083-20150124030443

The colours on it represent the famous Second Torpedo Squadron. Hatsushimo was not originally a member of it, but as the war took its toll she eventually was included in its ranks. The squadron was even officially dissolved in a ceremony aboard her deck.

As to why she's wearing one in the first place, according to trivia on the Japanese article for Hatsushimo Kai Ni (and I did not know this either), there's a quote in the book "Tokkou Yamato Kantai" that cites her communications officer's recollection of the moment where Yamato sunk, describing how he still remembers all of the sailors watching the battleship go down with hachimaki tied around their heads and bitter expressions. Allegedly hachimaki were a common accessory aboard ships at the time, especially for "suicide fleets" like Operation Ten-Gō.

...I should probably add this to the article as well.