german destroyer german destroyer type destroyer built kriegsmarine 1930s beginning world war september ship initially deployed blockade polish coast soon transferred inspected neutral shipping goods late early ship laid offensive minefields english coast claimed merchant ships reserve early transferred france later year attacks british shipping ship returned germany early refit transferred norway june preparations german invasion soviet_union spent time beginning campaign conducting anti shipping patrols soviet waters generally fruitless escorted number german convoys arctic later year ship escorted german heavy cruisers beginning end anti shipping raids participated battle sea convoy attacked december near norway spent escorting ships norway november ran aground november badly damaged repairs lasted august returned norway resumed duties ship grounding incident november repair february escorting convoy april badly damaged aircraft repair war ended eventually allocated british surviving warships divided allies war use ship scrapping design description overall length meters meters long waterline ship beam meters maximum draft meters displaced long tons standard load long tons deep load wagner geared steam turbine sets driving propeller shaft designed produce shp steam provided high pressure wagner boilers ship designed speed knots mph maximum speed knots mph carried maximum metric tons long tons fuel oil intended range nautical miles speed knots mph ship proved heavy service fuel retained ballast low ship effective range proved nmi knots crew numbered officers enlisted men plus additional officers enlisted men serving flotilla flagship ship carried guns single mounts gun shields superimposed fore aft fifth gun carried aft superstructure anti aircraft armament consisted guns twin mounts abreast rear funnel guns single mounts carried water centimeter torpedo tubes power operated mounts pair torpedoes provided mount depth charge throwers mounted sides rear supplemented racks individual depth charges sides stern depth charges carried patterns charges rails fitted rear deck maximum capacity mines system passive designated fitted detect submarines active system scheduled installed june uncertain actually war ship light anti aircraft armament augmented times improved guns replaced original guns additional guns added guns aft shelter deck replaced single quadruple mount probably late refit appears additional guns added time construction career named lieutenant commanded 14th torpedo boat flotilla world war killed action march ordered july laid kiel january yard number ship launched november completed captain lieutenant commander port visit norway april sisters return taken hand bow rebuilt reduce water came bow head seas increased length meters ship participated following fleet exercise october assigned 1st destroyer flotilla december sisters sailed area iceland evaluate north_atlantic winter new bows march ship destroyers escorted adolf hitler aboard pocket battleship occupy participated fleet exercise month western mediterranean visits spanish ports april return accidentally rammed stern escort ship world war began september initially deployed western baltic enforce blockade poland soon transferred inspected neutral shipping goods beginning mid september turbine operational night december german destroyers sortied lay minefields british coast command commodore flagship laid mines mouth navigation lights lit british unaware minefield existence lost ships totaling gross register tons grt route home destroyers ordered escort crippled light cruisers leipzig torpedoed submarine hms salmon covering destroyers withdrawal despite escort submarine managed sneak inside anti submarine screen fired torpedoes leipzig estuary following day torpedoes struck sank minutes later heavy loss life torpedoes missed led destroyer sortie newcastle area night january problems boilers reduced maximum speed knots mph escorted germany minefield claimed fishing tons laid magnetic mines area february sank ships grt damaged february destroyers sailed intercept british fishing vessels operation route flotilla erroneously attacked bomber hit bomb lost steering broke half sinking loss crew rescue effort hit sank loss entire crew hitler ordered convened investigate cause losses concluded ships sunk bombs kriegsmarine failed destroyers luftwaffe making anti shipping patrols time failed inform luftwaffe destroyers sea postwar evidence revealed ships struck british minefield laid destroyers held reserve german invasion norway april days later escorted light cruiser home wilhelmshaven ship helped lay minefield april began refit lasted september transferred brest france october night november sortied brest bound land end area route encountered fishing ships south west engaged gunfire little effect german ships spotted small convoy sank damaged flash guns alerted destroyers british 5th intercept german destroyers dawn nights later german ship sortied area encountered barge sank barge totaling grt time 5th destroyer flotilla able intercept november germans opened fire destroyer firing torpedoes hit target hms torpedoes hit end ship blew bow stern british able tow home ship fitted radar set bridge january ship laid minefield coast england following month escorted heavy cruiser admiral hipper leaving returning brest departed kiel briefly march begin refit sent norway july 6th destroyer flotilla participated sortie july sank small soviet ships cost ammunition sortie july saw sink soviet flying boat water damaged shock near misses sortie august germans sank converted fishing departed germany repairs days later escorted battleship days mid january battleship sailed baltic trondheim norway rest 5th sailed kiel january france preparations evening january struck mines laid hms belgian coast sank rescued survivors proceeded ashore reaching brest 26th german ships departed brest february totally surprising british helped repel attack british destroyers damaged near miss bomber shot newly installed shortly ship joined destroyers escorting heavy cruiser admiral trondheim heavy weather forced destroyers return port reaching trondheim badly damaged british submarine separation return ship needed machinery overhauled began refit bremen march completed screened heavy cruiser norway laid minefield route took attempt intercept arctic convoy july admiral formed group admiral hipper composed route rendezvous point destroyers ran aground forcing entire group abandon operation meantime escorted oil july operation august escorted admiral beginning end mission attack soviet shipping escorted departed lay minefield mid august october destroyers laid minefield mouth sank soviet weeks later destroyers escorted admiral hipper attempted intercept allied merchant ships proceeding independently soviet ports early november battle sea operation attempt intercept sailing soviet_union late december escorted admiral hipper attempted occupy attention convoy escort destroyers attacked convoy destroyers separated hipper search convoy successful morning december destroyer spotted turn closed investigate german ships opened fire range meters turned away rejoin convoy sustaining damage german ships pursue ordered rejoin hipper germans found detached earlier convoy search close convoy destroyers ordered sink hipper engaged convoy escorting destroyers took time poor visibility hipper surprised meantime british covering force light cruisers sheffield jamaica sinking german destroyers attempted rejoin hipper idea british cruisers area confused sheffield hipper spotted meters range totally surprised sheffield opened fire friedrich gun possessed sinking loss hands engaged escaped darkness commander assumed command january ship escorted damaged admiral hipper end month began escorting convoys port denmark escorted battleship early march following month screened return baltic began refit lasted october returning arctic ran aground october extensively damaged refloated november towed emergency repairs reached bergen november temporary repairs took december effect ship arrived stettin days later repairs included fitting new bow begin january dry dock occupied repairs completed june machinery problems meant operational august reached norway resumed escort work laid mines ran aground november repairs slow fully operational february ship badly damaged radar equipped bombers screening convoy morning april oslo norway repairs completed end war month captured british temporarily turned july allies decided disposition captured ships allocated britain end towed february ordered target september heavy leak months later caused beached sink temporary repairs allocated disposal january allocated breaking following year towed facility january
German destroyer Z4 Richard Beitzen