Authorized under the 1896 naval program,[2] Shiranui was laid down on 1 January 1898 by John I. Thornycroft & Company at Chiswick, England.

[4] She participated in a large Japanese torpedo attack against the Imperial Russian Navy squadron on the evening of 27 May 1905, during which one of her boilers was knocked out.

[6] Shiranui fired a challenging shot, to which the men who had abandoned ship in Admiral Nakhimov′s boats responded with surrender flags.

[6] Shiranui′s crew demanded that Admiral Nakhimov surrender and warned that they would give the Russians in the boats no quarter if any attempt was made to sink the cruiser to prevent her capture.

[7] Shiranui then pursued the Russian destroyer Gromkiy, which Vladimir Monomakh had ordered to proceed independently in an attempt to escape.

[5] The two destroyers exchanged fire at ranges of 4,000 to 5,000 metres (4,400 to 5,500 yd) as the chase continued until about 11:30, when Gromkiy sighted the Japanese torpedo boat No.

[2] On 1 August 1923, she stricken from the navy list, reclassified as a "general utility vessel" for use as a cargo ship, and simultaneously renamed No.