german destroyer type class destroyer built nazi_germany kriegsmarine mid-1930s start world war september blockaded polish coast searched neutral shipping late early ship successful sorties english coast claimed merchant ships participated early stages transporting troops trondheim area early april ship transferred france year later escort german ships french ports atlantic coast returning france early struck mines sank coast belgium 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 wagner boilers carried maximum metric tons long tons fuel oil intended range nmi knots mph ship proved heavy service fuel retained ballast low ship effective range proved nmi knots mph 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 system passive designated german fitted detect submarines construction career ship ordered january laid bremen january yard number launched september completed january sister sailed norway april test new centimeter gun planned later classes destroyers fitted new weapons removed gunnery trials completed ship participated august 6th following fleet exercise early spent months baltic_sea evaluate reduced steam pressure solve problems high pressure steam plant world war began initially deployed baltic operate enforce blockade poland soon transferred german bight joined sisters laying defensive minefields patrolled inspect neutral shipping goods briefly refitted time completing refit bound baltic kiel canal attacked bombers squadron raf september british aircraft failed damage german ships shot fighters destroyers busy escorting german heavy ships laying minefields british coast october november played operations night december command commodore friedrich flagship laid mines mouth navigation lights lit british unaware minefield existence lost ships totaling gross register tons grt withdrawing high speed suffered fire turbine rooms ordered fire destroyers later 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 torpedoes struck destroyer escort sank minutes later heavy loss life torpedoes missed night january ship laid minefield sisters ships totaling grt sunk minefield ships sortie night february area laid mines claimed ships totaling grt allocated norwegian portion group task transport seize trondheim heavy cruiser admiral hipper ships began loading troops april set sail day sisters carried company mountain troops tasked seize forts defending entrance passing surprised forts ships able land troops capture forts little difficulty destroyers suffered storm damage route low fuel oil arrived admiral hipper ordered home april fuel transferred sufficient heavy cruiser anti submarine protection proved insufficient fuel friedrich ordered return later night days later fuel found trondheim allow sail april reached germany day incident ship fitted radar set bridge ship escorted force nights april vicinity second sortie turned british destroyers spotted began lengthy refit later month combat worthy november april left germany occupied france attacked torpedo bombers route suffered damage ship destroyers present escorted commerce raiders blockade runners major warships french atlantic coast ports recalled september refit probably fitted time barrel centimeter gun aft replaced pair centimeter guns originally mounted escorted battleship mid january sailed baltic trondheim rest 5th destroyer flotilla sailed kiel january france preparations evening january struck mines laid hms belgian coast detonated beneath ship knocked nos boiler rooms second blew ship bow shortly members ship crew lost lives lost sea originally men rescued died wounds
German destroyer Z8 Bruno Heinemann