german destroyer type class destroyer built nazi_germany kriegsmarine late 1930s beginning world war ship working early successful sorties english coast claimed merchant ships early stages fought naval battles mid april severely damaged british ships second battle ship scuttled crew shortly 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 depth charges carried patterns charges rails fitted rear deck maximum capacity mines passive fitted detect submarines career ship ordered november laid kiel october yard number launched march completed august sea trials world war began operational early january assigned 8th led commander sisters laid minefield night january sank ships totalling gross register tons grt ships laid mines near night february minefield sank ships grt attempt capture british fishing operating february german destroyers hit newly laid british mines supposedly free channel sank lost man overboard attempting rescue sailors sunken ships succeeded rescuing men command ship allocated group norwegian portion group task transport headquarters seize ships began loading troops april sailed day suffered storm damage route lost men swept overboard destroyers arrived west early morning april ships command commander ordered land troops northern branch order capture troops encountered little resistance loading slow single wooden pier available later day moved harbor able refuel ordered return dawn sisters shortly dawn april destroyers british 2nd surprised german ships harbor torpedoed destroyers badly damaged suffering minor damage beginning withdraw encountered destroyers german 4th flotilla alerted british began attack germans opened fire gunnery sides effective mist smoke screen laid british retreated german ships turn away avoid torpedoes fired destroyers low fuel running low ammunition commander decided continue pursuit british ships engaged destroyers group commander ordered afternoon april return germany ships evening needed time refuel repairs completed following day ship ordered patrol mouth evening picket duty ran aground shortly midnight started water damaged hull plating returned morning april repaired resources available germans ordered inside mouth act floating battery case british attack water shallow use torpedoes loaded transferred sisters fuel transferred men needed ashore night received word expect attack following day british capital ships escorted large number destroyers supported carrier aircraft battleship destroyers duly appeared april earlier commander expected caught germans surprise able reach lieutenant commander ship captain decided anchor near south instead british ships approached spotted leading british destroyers fully prepared came hiding range close meters british ships able use light automatic weapons silence german ship guns set fire blowing bow torpedo inch semi armor piercing shells went ship visibly time thirty crewmen killed wounded british ships damaged scuttled shortly depth charge auxiliary machinery spaces aftermath battle ship crew including taken prisoner norwegian forces captured crewmen incarcerated later transferred prisoner war camp released end wreck raised scrapped
German destroyer Z13 Erich Koellner