german destroyer friedrich type class destroyer built nazi_germany kriegsmarine late 1930s named commander torpedo boat killed boat sunk beginning world war ship initially deployed blockade polish coast quickly transferred german bight lay minefields german waters late ship multiple successful sorties english coast claimed merchant ships participated early stages transporting troops trondheim area early april ship transferred france later year returned germany late refit transferred norway june preparations german invasion soviet_union ship spent time beginning campaign conducting anti shipping patrols soviet waters generally fruitless escorted number german convoys arctic later year escorted german heavy cruisers beginning end anti shipping raids german surface fleet attacked december near norway sinking british light cruiser german heavy cruiser admiral hipper taken completely surprise cruiser opened fire ship sank hands returning fire design description overall length meters meters long waterline ship beam meters maximum draft meters displaced metric tons long tons standard metric tons long tons deep load wagner geared steam turbines designed produce metric horsepower shp propel ship knots mph steam provided turbines high pressure boilers carried maximum metric tons long tons fuel oil intended range nautical miles knots mph ship proved heavy service fuel retained ballast low ship effective range proved nmi knots mph ship crew consisted officers sailors carried guns single mounts gun shields superimposed fore aft fifth gun carried rear anti aircraft armament consisted guns twin mounts abreast rear funnel guns single mounts ship 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 sufficient depth charges carried patterns sixteen charges rails fitted rear deck maximum capacity mines passive fitted detect submarines active system installed end construction career ship ordered january laid hamburg november yard number launched march completed july ship participated august march destroyers escorting adolf_hitler aboard pocket battleship occupy participated spring fleet exercise western mediterranean visits spanish ports april world war began initially deployed baltic operate enforce blockade poland soon transferred german bight joined sisters laying defensive minefields patrolled inspect neutral shipping goods october night october aboard flagship led laid minefield mouth british unaware minefield existence lost seven ships totaling grt night november led commander flagship laid minefield claimed seven ships grt including polish ocean liner grt minefield magnetic mines laid night january thames estuary destroyer merchant ships totalling grt lost minefield ship damaged commodore led sortie newcastle area ship suffered tube failures boilers reduced maximum speed knots mph escorted germany minefield claimed fishing tons laid magnetic mines area february sank ships grt damaged flagship attempt capture british fishing operating february destroyers sank heavy loss life hit newly laid british mines supposedly free channel bombed error luftwaffe allocated norwegian portion group task transport seize trondheim admiral hipper ships began loading troops april set sail day port propeller shaft began shortly passing mouth slow ship managed repair problem joined main body later day ship escorted admiral hipper entered ships disembarked troops reached trondheim harbor german ships proved low fuel journey fuel oil transferred admiral hipper attempted leave night april smaller ship proved unable match admiral hipper speed heavy seas encountered forced turn fuel discovered trondheim april ship sailed germany days later completing refit early september ship fitted radar set bridge time transferred france surviving destroyers september ship covered destroyers laying mines night september ships totalling grt sunk minefield attacked squadron fleet air arm night october lightly damaged bomb splinters man killed wounded ship transferred hamburg november refitted end december training baltic escorted battleship heavy cruiser trondheim sortied north_atlantic following month escorted pocket battleship kiel norway ship attempted break british blockade aircraft spotted escorts managed surprise ships torpedo pocket battleship early morning june took tow managed restart starboard engine proceed power june sailed bergen norway waited july main feed pump repaired arrive destroyers arrived july mounted anti shipping patrol july spot following night small soviet convoy spotted ships sunk ammunition german ships returning port attacked aircraft claimed shot second patrol july single soviet ship sunk german ships damaged aerial attacks british aircraft carriers victorious furious attacked july destroyers far east catch british ships left area german destroyers final sortie sank small soviet patrol vessel damaged single aircraft bombs ship damaged steering starboard engine damage temporarily repaired ordered thorough repairs completed ship remained arctic convoy escort duties accidentally rammed norwegian freighter october given temporary repairs floating dock trondheim october sent kiel permanent repairs arrived november finished repairs overhaul april training attempted sail norway june developed engine problems route turn repairs ship reached trondheim july escorting light cruiser ships laid mines entrance route continued onwards reached july operation august escorted pocket battleship 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 gun possessed dead water fire sheffield turned away sank unknown time later survivors men aboard died
German destroyer Z16 Friedrich Eckoldt