Although the German World War II destroyer ("Zerstörer") fleet was modern and the ships were larger than conventional destroyers of other navies, they had problems. Early classes were unstable, wet in heavy weather, suffered from engine problems and had short range. Some problems were solved with the evolution of later designs, but further developments were curtailed by the war and, ultimately, by Germany's defeat. In the first year of World War II, they were used mainly to sow offensive minefields in shipping lanes close to the British coast.
Destroyers
Kriegsmarine
Kriegsmarine | Destroyers
Yes,  Zerstörer Yes - Zerstörer Yes, Zerstörer Yes, there were Zerstörers.
what does gulf stream refer to?
user
It is a warm and swift Atlantic ocean current
assistant
where does it originate?
user
It originates in the Gulf of Mexico and stretches to the tip of Florida, and follows the eastern coastlines of the United States and Newfoundland before crossing the Atlantic Ocean as the North Atlantic Current.
assistant
does it help a cyclone to form?
user
Its presence has led to the development of strong cyclones of all types, both within the atmosphere and within the ocean.
assistant
does it have any specific properties?
user
It is a western-intensified current, driven largely by wind stress.
assistant
did it's origin witness any shipwreck?
user
A ship "Mardi Gras" sank around the early 19th century about off the coast of Louisiana in of water. The German submarine "U-166" was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's "Kriegsmarine" during World War II was laid down.
assistant
where does the submarine belong to?
user
The Kriegsmarine, navy of Nazi Germany
assistant
how many ships it has?
user
Sorry. I cannot find the answer based on the context.
assistant
is there any destroyer a part of it?
user
At the outbreak of the Second World War Nazi Germany's "Kriegsmarine" had 21 destroyers (Ger: "Zerstörer") in service, while another one was just being completed. These 22 vessels – comprising 3 classes (Type 34, 34A and 36) – had all been built in the 1930s, making them modern vessels (no destroyers remained in German hands following the close of the First World War). Including that final pre-war vessel, a further 19 were brought into service during the war and more were captured from opposing navies, including the Italian Navy ("Regia Marina") after the Italian Armistice with the Allies in 1943.
German World War II destroyers | Introduction
Although the German World War II destroyer ("Zerstörer") fleet was modern and the ships were larger than conventional destroyers of other navies, they had problems. Early classes were unstable, wet in heavy weather, suffered from engine problems and had short range. Some problems were solved with the evolution of later designs, but further developments were curtailed by the war and, ultimately, by Germany's defeat. In the first year of World War II, they were used mainly to sow offensive minefields in shipping lanes close to the British coast.
Kriegsmarine | Destroyers
World War Two began in 1939, meaning that very few of Germany's heavy ships were finished at that point. Germany's main naval opponents were France and England. Compared to the number Germany had upon entry (in parentheses) they had: 22 battleships (two), seven carriers (none), 22 heavy cruisers (four), 61 light cruisers (six), 255 destroyers (34), 135 submarines (57, of which less than half could actually serve in the Atlantic or North Sea). Due to the clear advantage her enemies had, Raeder remarked that the "Kriegsmarine" could not hope to win, and thus the only course for them was to "die valiantly".
German destroyer Z39 | Plan Z
The Type 1945 destroyers were a planned class of destroyers, for the Kriegsmarine, whose design was based upon that of the Type 1936D and E destroyers. Their plan involved a return to steam boilers, which had been replaced by diesel engines in all ships designs after the Type 1942 destroyers. No ships were ever built, as the end of the war was rapidly approaching.
Type 1945 destroyer | Introduction
The commands were Battleships, Cruisers, Destroyers, Submarines ("Führer der Unterseeboote"), Torpedo Boats, Minesweepers, Reconnaissance Forces, Naval Security Forces, Big Guns and Hand Guns, and Midget Weapons.
Kriegsmarine | Command structure
The posting of Commander of Destroyers ("Führer der Zerstörer") was first created in November 1939; prior to that time, all destroyer development and deployment had been under the authority of the Commander of Torpedo Boats. All German destroyers were further divided into eight administrative flotillas (Z-Flotille), each contained between four and five destroyer with its own flotilla commander and flagship. Operationally, destroyers were deployed under the authority of the Naval group commanders, leaving the commander of destroyers as little more than administrative head with little tactical control. In April 1942, the position was increased in its responsibility when all German torpedo boats were placed under the administrative control of the Leader of Destroyers.
Type commander (Kriegsmarine) | Destroyers
The Type 1936C destroyer was a planned class of destroyer for the "Kriegsmarine". The class was intended to consist of five ships, "Z46", "Z47", "Z48", "Z49" and "Z50". They were designed to be an improvement of Type 1936A and B destroyers. Only two of the five ships, "Z46" and "Z47", were ever laid down, and work was halted for a year between 1942 and 1943. Construction was constantly interrupted by numerous problems, dominantly due to air raids, material supply delays and a shortage of copper. The two ships that were laid down, "Z46" and "Z47", were blown up by Allied troops in 1945.
Type 1936C destroyer | Introduction
Design work on the Type 34-class destroyers began in 1932, around the time that Weimar Germany renounced the armament limitations of the Versailles Treaty that had ended World War I. Initial designs for the new destroyers were for large ships more powerful than the French and Polish destroyers then in service, but the design grew further as the "Kriegsmarine" now expected it to serve as a small cruiser. The design work appears to have been rushed and not well-thought out as the short forecastle and lack of flare at the bow compromised the ships' seakeeping ability and their stability was inadequate.
German destroyer Z2 Georg Thiele | Design and description
It was not until 1938 that the "Kriegsmarine" had a renewed interest in diesel propulsion. However the advent of World War II largely led to the suspension of research, except for the Type 1942 destroyer class, which was to use six MAN type 12Z32/34 engines.
German destroyer Z51 | Development
The sheer disparity in size when compared to the other European powers navies prompted German naval commander in chief Grand Admiral Erich Raeder to write of his own navy once the war began "The surface forces can do no more than show that they know how to die gallantly." A number of captured ships from occupied countries were added to the German fleet as the war progressed. Though six major units of the "Kriegsmarine" were sunk during the war (both "Bismarck"-class battleships and both "Scharnhorst"-class battleships, as well as two heavy cruisers), there were still many ships afloat (including four heavy cruisers and four light cruisers) as late as March 1945.
Kriegsmarine | Ships
After the war, the German surface ships that remained afloat (only the cruisers and , and a dozen destroyers were operational) were divided among the victors by the "Tripartite Naval Commission". The US used the heavy cruiser in nuclear testing at Bikini Atoll in 1946 as target ship. Some (like the unfinished aircraft carrier ) were used for target practice with conventional weapons, while others (mostly destroyers and torpedo boats) were put into the service of Allied navies that lacked surface ships after the war. The training barque SSS "Horst Wessel" was recommissioned USCGC "Eagle" and remains in active service, assigned to the United States Coast Guard Academy.
Kriegsmarine | Post-war division
The following officers served as Commander of Destroyers during the Second World War. Ten destroyer escorts were also constructed by the Kriegsmarine for use in convoy protection duties. These ships were interspersed among five escort flotillas augmented by converted civilian craft and torpedo boats of the "Torpedoboot Ausland" program. A type commander for escort ships was never established with these vessels administratively under the command of the Commander of Destroyers.
Type commander (Kriegsmarine) | Destroyers
A further two ships ("Z.57" and "Z.58") were ordered from Germaniawerft at Kiel, but were cancelled before construction started.
German World War II destroyers | Zerstörer 1944
The Treaty of Versailles disallowed submarines, while limiting the size of the "Reichsmarine" to six battleships, six cruisers, and twelve destroyers. Following the creation of the "Wehrmacht", the navy was renamed the "Kriegsmarine". With the signing of the Anglo-German Naval Agreement, the Germany was allowed to increase its navy's size to be 35:100 tonnage of the Royal Navy, and allowed for the construction of U-boats. This was partly done to appease Germany, and because Britain believed the "Kriegsmarine" would not be able to reach the 35% limit until 1942. The navy was also prioritized last in the German rearmament scheme, making it the smallest of the branches.
Wehrmacht | Navy
Being amongst the Royal Navy's most modern and powerful destroyers at the outbreak of war, they were extensively committed. As a result, losses were heavy. Of 24 ships built 13 were lost (six J, six K and one N class), mostly in the Mediterranean in 1941–42. The remainder were scrapped after the war.
J-, K- and N-class destroyer | Service
The Type 1936B destroyers were a group of five destroyers built for Nazi Germany's "Kriegsmarine" between 1941 and 1942, of which only three were completed and saw service. Eight ships of this design were ordered, but the orders for three ships were cancelled before construction began. was the first ship of the class to be completed and was commissioned in mid-1943. Her sister ships, and , followed in 1944. "Z44" was sunk during an air raid in 1944 before she was completed while "Z45" was never completed. Both ships were scrapped after the war. All three ships spent the war in the Baltic Sea, escorting German convoys, laying minefields, and bombarding Soviet forces in 1944–1945.
Type 1936B destroyer | Introduction
The "Kriegsmarine" had failed to notify its destroyers that the "Luftwaffe" was making anti-shipping patrols at that time and had also failed to inform the "Luftwaffe" that its destroyers would be at sea. Postwar research revealed that one or both ships struck British mines laid by the destroyers and .
German destroyer Z4 Richard Beitzen | Operation "Wikinger"
24 ships were ordered in 1938–1940 but the programme was disrupted by the German invasion in 1941. The ships being built in Nikolayev were demolished before launch or evacuated incomplete while those built in other yards were suspended for the duration of the conflict. Some of the intact ships were completed after the war to a modified design (K for "korrektirovany" – corrected).
Ognevoy-class destroyer | Ships
Five ships of this class were ordered in 1942 and 1943 ("Z.46" – "Z.50"), all from A.G. Weser at Bremen; none were launched, just two were started – "Z.46" and "Z.47" – and both were bombed by Allied aircraft while under construction and were scrapped on the slipways in 1945. This design was a response to the vulnerability to air attack of early German destroyers and would have used six new 128 mm Flak 40 guns (originally designed for the Luftwaffe) as dual purpose weapons in twin mountings. The number of smaller calibre anti-aircraft guns would have also been increased.
German World War II destroyers | Zerstörer 1936C
The British, French and Soviet navies received the destroyers, and some torpedo boats went to the Danish and Norwegian navies. For the purpose of mine clearing, the Royal Navy employed German crews and minesweepers from June 1945 to January 1948, organized in the German Mine Sweeping Administration, the GMSA, which consisted of 27,000 members of the former "Kriegsmarine" and 300 vessels. The destroyers and the Soviet share light cruiser were all retired by the end of the 1950s, but five escort destroyers were returned from the French to the new West German navy in the 1950s and three 1945 scuttled type XXI and XXIII U-boats were raised by West Germany and integrated into their new navy.
Kriegsmarine | Post-war division
The "Kriegsmarine" had several torpedo boat classes with displacements between 1,000 and 1,300 tons (for example the "Möwe"-class Fleet Torpedo boats and Torpedo boat type 35). They sat in size between torpedo-equipped fast attack boats (known to the Allies as E-boats) and the destroyers. In 1939, the Germans started work on new designs that were a response to the weaknesses of earlier designs. These "Fleet Torpedo Boats" ("Flottentorpedoboot") were large, 1,755 tons, and more able as escorts and for anti-aircraft defence as well as torpedo attacks and they were comparable in most respects to some of the British destroyer classes.
German World War II destroyers | Destroyer sized craft
The Type 1934A destroyers, also known as the Z5 class, were a group of twelve destroyers built in the mid-1930s for Nazi Germany's "Kriegsmarine". Five survived the war.
Type 1934A destroyers | Introduction
Design work on the Type 34 destroyers began in 1932, around the time that Weimar Germany renounced the armament limitations of the Versailles Treaty that had ended World War I. Initial designs were for large ships more powerful than the French and Polish destroyers then in service, but the design grew as the "Kriegsmarine" now expected it to serve as a small cruiser. The design work appears to have been rushed and not well-thought out as the short forecastle and lack of flare at the bow compromised the ships' seakeeping ability and their stability was inadequate. The only real innovative part of the design, the high-pressure water-tube boilers, were an over-complicated system that received almost no shipboard testing before being installed in the Type 34s and frequently broke down throughout the life of the ships.
German destroyer Z3 Max Schultz | Design and description
On 28 June 1939, orders for nine destroyers ("Z31"–"Z39") of the new Type 1938B class were placed by Germany, with a further three destroyers of the class being ordered in July. They were ordered as a part of Plan Z, which was a German naval rearmament plan, involving building ten battleships, four aircraft carriers, twelve battlecruisers, three pocket battleships, five heavy cruisers, forty-four light cruisers, sixty-eight destroyers, and 249 submarines. These ships were to be split into two battle fleets: a "Home Fleet", to tie down the British war fleet in the North Sea, and a "Raiding Fleet", to wage war upon British convoys.
German destroyer Z31 | Design and construction
The invasion proved costly for the Kriegsmarine, losing a heavy cruiser, two of its six light cruisers, 10 of its 20 destroyers and six U-boats. In addition, almost all of the other capital ships were damaged and required dockyard repairs, and for a time the German surface fleet had only three light cruisers and four destroyers operational in the aftermath of the Norwegian Campaign.
Erich Raeder | World War II
Design work on the Type 34 destroyers began in 1932, around the time that Weimar Germany renounced the armament limitations of the Versailles Treaty which had ended World War I. Initial designs were for large ships more powerful than the French and Polish destroyers then in service, but the design grew as the "Kriegsmarine" expected it to serve as a small cruiser. The design work appears to have been rushed and not well-thought out as the short forecastle and lack of flare at the bow compromised the ships' seakeeping ability and their stability was inadequate. The only real innovative part of the design, the high-pressure water-tube boilers, were an over-complicated system that received almost no shipboard testing before being installed in the Type 34s, and frequently broke down throughout the life of the ships.
German destroyer Z4 Richard Beitzen | Design and description
is currently in the process of adding up to 18 ships of the Type 052D destroyer class. Serial construction is underway for at-least 6 of the larger and more powerful Type 055 destroyer, which at the current rate of production, should be complete by late 2019 or early 2020. In addition, six multi-mission surface combat ships are planned under the name 'Mehrzweckkampfschiff 180' (MKS 180), which will have destroyer-size and corresponding capabilities (length: 163m, displacement: 10,400 tons) , as of 2018, has 67 active "Arleigh Burke" destroyers and 15 planned or under construction. The new ships will be the upgraded "flight III" version.
Destroyer | Future development
The ship escorted troop convoys from northern Norway when the Germans began evacuating the area beginning in October until she began an extensive refit in December. The war ended before the refit was completed and the ship was surrendered to the Allies in Germany. She was allocated to the United States when they divided up the surviving ships of the "Kriegsmarine" in late 1945. Still not fully seaworthy, "Z29" was scuttled by the Americans in late 1946.
German destroyer Z29 | Introduction
This varied considerably in different ships as the war went on; for example, the specified pair of twin guns were not widely available until mid-1942 and a quadruple machine cannon mount and a gun were temporarily substituted. In 1945 sixteen ships (DD-423, 424, 429–432, 435, 437–440, 443, 497, 623, 624, and 628) were modified for maximum light AA armament as an anti-"kamikaze" measure, with four 5-inch guns, no torpedo tubes, twelve 40 mm guns in two quad and two twin mounts and four 20 mm guns in two twin mountings. Photographs indicate that, as with most pre-1942 destroyers, the initial anti-submarine armament of two depth charge tracks was augmented with four or six K-gun depth charge throwers in 1941–42 on most ships.
Gleaves-class destroyer | Armament
The Type 1936A destroyers, also known as the "Z23" class, were a group of fifteen destroyers built for the Nazi Germany's "Kriegsmarine" from 1938 to 1943. They were known to the Allies as the Narvik class. In common with other German destroyers launched after the start of World War II, the Narviks were unnamed, known only by their hull numbers – "Z23" to "Z39".
Type 1936A destroyer | Introduction
The Type 1936 destroyers, also known as the Z17 class, were a group of six destroyers built for Nazi Germany's "Kriegsmarine" during the late 1930s, shortly before the beginning of World War II. All six sister ships were named after German sailors who had been killed in World War I. They were engaged in training for most of the period between their completion and the outbreak of war, although several did participate in the occupation of Memel in Lithuania, in early 1939. When the war began in September 1939, the sisters helped to lay minefields in the German Bight and then helped to lay multiple minefields off the British coast in late 1939 and early 1940.
Type 1936 destroyers | Introduction
After the war "Z20 Karl Galster" sailed to Wilhelmshaven while the Allies decided how to divide the surviving ships of the "Kriegsmarine" amongst themselves as war reparations. The ship was allotted to the Soviet Union in late 1945 and turned over to the Soviets on 6 February 1946 in Liepāja, Latvia. She was renamed "Prochnyy" and assigned to the Red Banner Baltic Fleet on 5 November. "Prochnyy" was converted into a training ship in 1950 and was then reclassified as an accommodation ship, designated "PKZ 99", on 28 November 1954. The ship was scrapped in 1958.
German destroyer Z20 Karl Galster | Postwar activities
The Type 1934 destroyers, also known as the Z1 class or "Leberecht Maass" class after the lead ship, were a group of four destroyers built for the German Navy (initially called the "Reichsmarine" and then renamed as the "Kriegsmarine" in 1935) during the mid-1930s, shortly before the beginning of World War II. The ships were engaged in training for most of the period between their commissioning and the outbreak of war, although they did participate in the occupation of Memel in Lithuania, in early 1939. "Z3 Max Schultz" collided with and sank a German torpedo boat shortly before the war began on 1 September 1939.
Type 1934 destroyers | Introduction
The bow proved to be a faulty design, resulting in the ship to get too wet in heavy seas. This was fixed by rebuilding all four ship of the class before 1939. Four destroyers were laid down between October 1934 and January 1935. Only one ship survived the war. The ships were named after German navy personnel killed in World War I. The ships were:
German World War II destroyers | Zerstörer 1934
These ships reverted to the traditional German practice of giving torpedo ships numbers rather than names. Four survived the war.
German World War II destroyers | Zerstörer 1936A ""Narvik""
The German destroyer "Z6 Theodor Riedel" was a built for the "Kriegsmarine" during the mid-1930s. At the beginning of World War II in September 1939, the ship laid defensive minefields to the North Sea. She covered her sister ships over the next few months as they laid offensive minefields in English waters in late 1939–early 1940. She participated in the early stages of the Norwegian Campaign by transporting troops to the Trondheim area in early April 1940 and was transferred to France later that year where the ship covered another minelaying sortie before engine problems caused her to return to Germany in November for repairs.
German destroyer Z6 Theodor Riedel | Introduction
Three s were ordered in 1939, but with the start of the war the same year there were not enough resources to build the ships.
Kriegsmarine | Battlecruisers
Z25 was one of fifteen Type 1936A destroyers built for the "Kriegsmarine" (German Navy) during World War II. Completed in 1940, the ship spent most of the war in Norwegian waters, escorting German ships and laying minefields, despite venturing to France in early 1942 to successfully escort two battleships and a heavy cruiser home through the English Channel (the Channel Dash). She was very active in attacking the Arctic convoys ferrying war materials to the Soviet Union in 1941–1942, but only helped to sink one Allied ship herself. Engine problems in 1943 severely restricted her activities and she was transferred to the Baltic in early 1944 after repairs were completed.
German destroyer Z25 | Introduction
The hull of the French "Le Hardi"-class destroyer "L'Opiniatre" was captured intact and 16% complete in Bordeaux. The Kriegsmarine intended to complete her for service. Since French armament was not available, and for standardisation with the rest of the German Navy, 127 mm guns and German pattern torpedo tubes were ordered. Work proceeded tardily until all progress was abandoned in July 1943. The hull was eventually broken up on the slip
German World War II destroyers | ZF2
On 7 December 1941, the day the United States entered World War II, the United States Navy had 100 destroyers seven years old or newer. This number included 27 and destroyers. However, none were equipped with torpedoes comparable to the (then unknown) Type 93 torpedoes ("Long Lance torpedo") of the Imperial Japanese Navy, and only destroyer leaders had more than four main guns—inferior to the six guns on a Japanese destroyer (the first 24 ships of the "Benson"/"Gleaves" class were built with five guns, but excessive topweight led to one being removed). In 1940, fifty "flush deckers" were transferred to the British Royal Navy and the Royal Canadian Navy under the Destroyers for Bases Agreement.
List of destroyer classes of the United States Navy | World War II
The first warship sunk in World War II was the destroyer of the Polish Navy by Junkers Ju 87 dive bombers of the carrier air group of aircraft carrier on 3 September 1939. This carrier air group (Trägergeschwader 186) was part of the "Luftwaffe" but at that time under command of the "Kriegsmarine".
Kriegsmarine | Major enemy warships sunk or destroyed
The ships were designed as follow-ons to the "Deutschland"-class cruisers. In 1933, the rise of the Nazi Party brought Adolf Hitler to power in Germany. At the time, he opposed a large-scale naval rearmament program, but decided to allow limited construction to counter French naval expansion. He therefore authorized the "Kriegsmarine" to build two additional "panzerschiffe" (armored ships) to supplement the three "Deutschland"s. He stipulated that displacement be limited to and the primary battery would remain two triple turrets mounting guns. Admiral Erich Raeder, the commander in chief of the "Kriegsmarine", advocated increasing the armor protection for the new "panzerschiffe" and inquired about the possibility of including a third triple turret.
D-class cruiser (Germany) | Design
All three ships were built by Bath Iron Works in the United States. They were named after famous German officers who died in World War II; Lütjens who had commanded the battleship "Bismarck" task group, the fighter ace Mölders of the Luftwaffe, and Field Marshal Rommel.
Lütjens-class destroyer | List of ships
The main combat ships of the "Kriegsmarine" (excluding U-boats):
Kriegsmarine | Surface ships
After the war "Z25" sailed to Wilhelmshaven and was overhauled to keep her seaworthy while the Allies decided how to divide the surviving ships of the "Kriegsmarine" amongst themselves as war reparations. The ship was allotted to Great Britain in late 1945 and arrived in Rosyth, Scotland, on 6 January 1946. Following protests by France over her exclusion, the British transferred four of the destroyers that they had been allotted and "Z25" arrived in Cherbourg on 2 February. Two days later, she was commissioned into the French Navy with the name of "Hoche", after General Lazare Hoche. The ship was assigned to the 1st Division of Large Destroyers ("contre-torpilleurs") and entered service in September when she conducted training with the light carrier .
German destroyer Z25 | French service
In all, twenty ships were built for the Soviet Navy, one ship () was later transferred to Poland, while five similar ships were built to a modified design for the Indian Navy as "Rajput" class.
Kashin-class destroyer | Ships
For anti-aircraft defence, the destroyers were equipped with two Vickers cannon. These were later replaced with four Bofors cannon. The destroyers were armed with two depth charge throwers for anti-submarine warfare and were issued 20 naval mines. The ships had a complement of 130.
Klas-class destroyer | Description
These 6 ships (of 26 planned) ordered under the 1935 Program were improved and enlarged versions of the 1934 and 1934A classes. Most of the serious faults of the earlier ships had been resolved: engine reliability and the structural integrity was much improved and they were much better seagoing ships, shipping less water through an improvement in the design of the bows. Despite this, five of this newer type were also lost at Narvik in April 1940.
German World War II destroyers | Zerstörer 1936
Ships of this class would have been small destroyers designed to patrol and operate in Baltic and coastal waters, but would have had quite big operational range for such purpose, and could have also been used in high seas. Twelve ships were ordered in the summer of 1939, but after the start of World War II, all were cancelled.
German World War II destroyers | Zerstörer 1938B
The military campaigns in Europe yielded a large number of captured vessels, many of which were under construction. Nations represented included Austria (riverine craft), Czechoslovakia (riverine craft), Poland, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Yugoslavia, Greece, Soviet Union, United Kingdom, United States (several landing craft) and Italy (after the armistice). Few of the incomplete ships of destroyer size or above were completed, but many smaller warships and auxiliaries were completed and commissioned into Kriegsmarine during the war. Additionally many captured or confisticated foreign civilian ships (merchantmen, fishing boats, tugboats etc.) were converted into auxiliary warships or support ships.
Kriegsmarine | Captured ships
While "Z.51" was a testbed for diesel propulsion, the Type 1944 destroyer was a production class of large, diesel powered destroyers. They were planned to have a revised armament, with six 128 mm Flak 40 dual purpose main guns, and an all-new anti-aircraft armament, with three 5.5 cm Gerät 58 intermediate calibre anti-aircraft guns and a close-in armament of 14 30 mm guns in seven twin mounts, with eight torpedo tubes. Five of these ships ("Z.52"–"Z.56") were ordered from A.G. Weser at Bremen and were laid down in 1943, but none were completed, being cancelled in July 1944 and broken up on the slips.
German World War II destroyers | Zerstörer 1944
List of ships of the Second World War
List of Kriegsmarine ships | See also
The destroyers have two double torpedo tubes and two six-barrel RBU-1000 anti-submarine rocket launchers, with 48 rockets. Range is . The rocket is armed with a warhead.
Sovremenny-class destroyer | Anti-submarine systems
The total of 12 excludes 1 uncompleted ("Michitsuki") and 3 cancelled; 21 intended further ships were never ordered.
List of destroyers of Japan | <a href="Akizuki-class%20destroyer%20%281942%29">"Akizuki" class</a> (Type B) — 12 ships
Before World War II, destroyers were light vessels with little endurance for unattended ocean operations; typically a number of destroyers and a single destroyer tender operated together. After the war, the advent of the guided missile allowed destroyers to take on the surface combatant roles previously filled by battleships and cruisers. This resulted in larger and more powerful guided missile destroyers more capable of independent operation. At the start of the 21st century, destroyers are the global standard for surface combatant ships, with only two nations (United States and Russia) officially operating the heavier class cruisers, with no battleships or true battlecruisers remaining.
Destroyer | Introduction
(DDG) — 1 ship (DDG) — 3 ships (DDG) — 4 ships
List of destroyers of Japan | Guided Missile Destroyer
These 10 fleet escort vessels of the F class were the German equivalent to the Allied destroyer escorts and frigates.
German World War II destroyers | Flottenbegleiter
In 1943 twelve ships (DD-493, 609, 620, 622, 623, 635, 637–639, and 646–648) were temporarily equipped with three Mousetrap ASW rocket launchers, but this was unsuccessful and the only such installation on post-1930 US destroyers. They were removed beginning in March 1944.
Gleaves-class destroyer | Armament
The J, K and N class was a class of 24 destroyers of the Royal Navy launched in 1938. They were a return to a smaller vessel, with a heavier torpedo armament, after the that emphasised guns over torpedoes. The ships were built in three flotillas or groups, each consisting of eight ships with names beginning with "J", "K" and "N". The flag superior of the pennant numbers changed from "F" to "G" in 1940. The ships were modified throughout their wartime service, particularly their anti-aircraft (AA) guns; they were also fitted with radar.
J-, K- and N-class destroyer | Introduction
Fourteen vessels were ordered to this revised design in January 1918 under the 13th War Programme (as well as the two Thornycroft ships to a variant design), of which seven were subsequently cancelled. A further thirty-eight vessels were ordered to this design in April 1918 under the 14th War Programme, of which thirty-one were subsequently cancelled and only seven completed. These ships had a thick fore funnel and a thin after funnel.
V and W-class destroyer | Ships
On 28 June 1939, Nazi Germany placed orders for nine destroyers ("Z31"–"Z39") of the new Type 1938B class. A further three destroyers of the class were ordered in July. The Type 1938B destroyers were relatively small, compared with the preceding Type 1936 and 1936A ships. They were to be armed with four guns in two twin turrets, and were designed for long range. Following the outbreak of the Second World War, however, orders for the Type 1938B destroyers were cancelled; Germany reverted to the Type 1936A (Mob) class, a slightly modified version of the previous Type 1936A class. On 9 September 1939, four destroyers ("Z31"–"Z34") were re-ordered from the Deschimag consortium, to be built at the AG Weser shipyard in Bremen.
German destroyer Z32 | Construction and design
These were to have been ocean-going vessels, as opposed to North Sea or coastal vessels, capable of operating with the fleet, with greater range and an emphasis on anti-aircraft weaponry. Nine were ordered in March 1944; however, the order was subsequently cancelled without any building having started.
German World War II destroyers | Flottentorpedoboot 1944
Around the time the design was created, after the sinking of the German battleship "Tirpitz" on 12 November 1944, most of Germany's surface ships were being pulled back entirely, to serve only in the Baltic Sea. From the spring of 1945 to near the end of the war, the Kriegsmarine was almost entirely focused upon resupplying and supporting garrisons along the Baltic Coast. Later on, in May, the Kriegsmarine embarked upon the task of evacuating hundreds of thousands of civilians and soldiers from the east, ahead of the Soviet forces which were rapidly pushing westward. The Type 1945 destroyers were designed to be able to defend against submarines, light naval forces, and aircraft, particularly torpedo bombers.
Type 1945 destroyer | Development
When war broke out in 1939, planned new destroyer classes were cancelled and twelve additional 1936A vessels ("Z.31" to "Z.42", although the last three were to be cancelled) were ordered with slight modifications to speed construction and save materials. "Mob" stands for "Mobilmachung" (Mobilisation). The 150 mm twin turrets had been manufactured for planned, but never built, "O" class battlecruisers. In war service, the engines were more reliable than in earlier ships but at the end of the war, heavy corrosion was discovered. Seven of this sub-class were built: one was sunk, another two were severely damaged and not repaired.
German World War II destroyers | Zerstörer 1936A (Mob)
Unlike their half-sisters, the ships had two macks. They were armed with two 5"/54 caliber Mark 42 gun forward, one each forward and aft of the superstructure. The ships were fitted with an eight-round ASROC launcher between the funnels. Close-range anti-submarine defense was provided by two triple sets of Mk 32 torpedo tubes. The primary armament of the ships was the Tartar surface-to-air missile designed to defend the carrier battle group. They were fired via the single-arm Mk 13 missile launcher and the ships stowed a total of 40 missiles for the launcher.
German destroyer Lütjens | Design and description
A multitude of other ships also remained unfinished by the end of the war: escorts, gunboats, landing craft, fleet tenders, AA batteries, training ships, auxiliary ships, patrol boats, minelayers, mine hunters, fast torpedo attack boats (E-Boats) and more.
List of Kriegsmarine ships | Torpedo boats
More battleships were planned (the H-class), but construction was abandoned in September 1939.
Kriegsmarine | Battleships
"Z4 Richard Beitzen" was eventually allocated to the British when the surviving German warships were divided between the Allies after the war. They made no use of the ship before scrapping her in 1949.
Type 1934 destroyers | Z4 "Richard Beitzen"
A significant number of foreign warships were captured and recommissioned into the "Kriegsmarine". Some were never completed.
List of Kriegsmarine ships | Captured foreign warships
The list of "Kriegsmarine" ships includes all ships commissioned into the "Kriegsmarine", the navy of Nazi Germany, during its existence from 1935 to the conclusion of World War II in 1945. See the list of naval ships of Germany for ships in German service throughout the country's history.
List of Kriegsmarine ships | Introduction
Classified as torpedo boats until 1907. A pair of Siberian destroyers were built in Germany, delivered to [[Vladivostok]] in parts and launched
List of destroyers of the Imperial Russian Navy | "Kapitan Yurasovskiy" class (450 tons), 10 ships
Once repairs were completed she sailed for Swinemünde on 26 March and arrived there on 2 April. Due to Germany's shortage of fuel the ship was laid up and saw no further combat. All of her anti-aircraft guns were removed shortly after her arrival. Before "Z33" departed Swinemünde on 27 April to be decommissioned at Cuxhaven, her anti-aircraft weapons were replaced by guns taken from the wreck of "Lützow". After the war "Z33" sailed to Wilhelmshaven and was overhauled to keep her seaworthy while the Allies decided how to divide the surviving ships of the "Kriegsmarine" amongst themselves as war reparations.
German destroyer Z33 | Service history
Z17 Diether von Roeder was one of six Type 1936 destroyers built for the "Kriegsmarine" (German Navy) in the late 1930s. Completed in 1938, the ship spent most of her time training although she did participate in the occupation of Memel in early 1939. At the beginning of World War II in September, the ship was initially deployed to lay minefields off the German coast, but was soon transferred to the Skagerrak where she inspected neutral shipping for contraband goods. In late 1939, the ship helped to laid an offensive minefield off the English coast that claimed seven merchant ships.
German destroyer Z17 Diether von Roeder | Introduction
A dozen "Hatsuharu"-class destroyers were authorized in 1931 as part of the so-called Circle One Program ("Maru Ichi Keikaku"). Three were laid down in Fiscal Year 1931 and the next three in Fiscal Year 1933. The remaining six ships were built as the .
Hatsuharu-class destroyer | Construction
At the time of the armistice in November 1918, there were 27 vessels were in commission, allocated as follows
S-class destroyer (1917) | First World War
The main armament of this class reduced back to single mounted 128 mm guns and the anti-aircraft armament was increased. The efficacy of this change was not proven in high seas as this sub-class only operated in the Baltic and coastal waters. Eight ships to this design were ordered, but the orders for "Z.40", "Z.41" and "Z.42" (all three ordered from Germaniawerft at Kiel) were replaced by orders for three "Spähkreuzer" ("scout cruisers"), to be numbered "Sp.1", "Sp.2" and "Sp.3" respectively. Two ships ("Z.44" and "Z.45") were never completed, being suspended in 1944 and scuttled incomplete after the war. The three that were commissioned were all lost.
German World War II destroyers | Zerstörer 1936B
The I-class destroyers were a group of nine destroyers, including a flotilla leader, built for the Royal Navy during the 1930s. Four similar ships were ordered by the Turkish Navy, of which two were purchased for the Royal Navy, bringing the number of these ships British service to 11—although three of the original ships had been lost by the time "Inconstant" and "Ithuriel" were commissioned. The I-class served in World War II and six were lost, with a seventh ship being written off.
I-class destroyer | Introduction
Five ships were ordered on 5 June 1943: "Talavera" and "Trincomalee" (from John Brown); "Waterloo" and "Ypres" (from Fairfield); and "Vimiera" (from Cammell Laird). The last two were the extended design and would eventually be built as the "Daring" Class.
Battle-class destroyer | Orders and construction
Two prototypes were ordered in May 1915 as part of the 5th War Programme. Seventeen ships were ordered in July 1915 as part of the 6th War Programme (as well as four of the Yarrow R class and three of the Thornycroft R class). Eight ships were ordered in December 1915 as part of the 7th War Programme (as well as two more of the Thornycroft R class).
R-class destroyer (1916) | Admiralty R-class ships
The remaining eleven ships ordered in March 1916 were of the Admiralty Modified R class with a slightly increased breadth of 27 ft, a draught of 11 ft, and a tonnage of 1,085. These ships had two funnels.
R-class destroyer (1916) | Admiralty Modified R-class ships
Destroyers of the JMSDF had been divided into two series, anti-aircraft gun fire oriented destroyers (DDA) and ASW-oriented destroyers (DDK). However, in the 1970s, a drastic review of the fleet became necessary due to the enhancement of the Soviet submarine fleet and the reinforcement of the anti-ship missiles. After consideration by Operations research, eight ships / eight helicopters concept was adopted as a new fleet organization. In this concept, each flotillas would be composed of one helicopter destroyer (DDH), five general-purpose destroyers (DD), and two guided missile destroyers (DDG).
Hatsuyuki-class destroyer | Background
The 323 destroyers ordered during World War I belonged to several different classes and were the subject of 14 separate War Programmes between 1914 and 1918. 40 of these were cancelled at the end of the war. The total excludes destroyers building in UK for other navies which were purchased for the British Navy following the outbreak of war.
War Emergency Programme destroyers | War Programmes and Ship classes (World War I)
An additional five vessels were ordered in fiscal 1919, and a final three in fiscal 1920. However, the final three vessels were built to a different design and have a different enough silhouette that they can be regarded as a separate sub-class.
Minekaze-class destroyer | Background
German destroyer flotillas were the most recognizable surface units as they were organized along classic naval lines with a designated flotilla flagship and commander. Unlike most of the other surface flotilla commands, which operated out of shore offices, destroyer flotillas commanders were embarked onboard flagship vessels (known as "Die Führerzerstörer") and would occasionally put to sea along with the vessels of their command. The destroyer "Leberecht Maass" (Z1) was the first flotilla's designated flagship in 1939, later replaced by the "Wilhelm Heidkamp" (Z21) and then the Z28 in 1943. There were eight destroyer flotillas authorized by the Kriegsmarine during the Second World War, of which seven were eventually established.
Surface flotillas of the Kriegsmarine | Destroyer flotillas
The destroyers were also equipped beginning in 1958 with Mk 43 homing torpedoes in an effort to increase the distance between the ships and their targets. The Mk 43 torpedo had a range of at . They were pitched over the side by a modified depth charge thrower.
HMCS Restigouche (DDE 257) | Armament
As well as these fifty ships to the standard 'Admiralty' design, twelve more R class were designed and built by the two specialist builders Yarrow Shipbuilders and John I. Thornycroft & Company to their own separate designs. Three were ordered from Thornycroft and four from Yarrow in July 1915, and two from Thornycroft and three from Yarrow in December 1915. They were the last three-funnelled destroyers ordered by the Royal Navy (although commissioned in 1973 had three funnels, these were not all on the centreline). All of these ships saw extensive service in World War I. Some saw service as minelayers.
R-class destroyer (1916) | Introduction
These six ships were ordered by the Brazilian Navy, but on the outbreak of World War II, they were requisitioned by the Royal Navy. They are usually included with the H class.
G and H-class destroyer | "Havant" class
Z26 was one of fifteen Type 1936A destroyers built for the "Kriegsmarine" (German Navy) during World War II. Completed in early 1941, the ship spent her active career in Norwegian waters. She first arrived there in November, but was plagued with engine problems and had to return to Germany for repairs in January 1942. "Z26" returned to Norway two months later and became flagship of a destroyer flotilla. Together with two of her sisters, she attempted to intercept Convoy PQ 13. They rescued survivors from an already sunken ship before "Z26" sank one straggler from the convoy. The three destroyers were spotted by a British light cruiser that badly damaged "Z26" before one of the cruiser's torpedoes circled back around and crippled her.
German destroyer Z26 | Introduction
In 1913, with burgeoning numbers of TBDs, the Admiralty took the confusing situation in hand; "Havock" and her similar "27 knotter" sisters with two shafts were grouped as the , and similar groups of "30 knotter" TBDs were grouped as the (four-funneled ships), (three funnels) and (two funnels). Later classes of ships were grouped as the E to K classes, although there was no J class. These are ships that the observer would recognise as being the forerunners of the modern destroyer, with the turtle back and low conning tower replaced by a forecastle and wheelhouse with a compass platform above.
Naming conventions for destroyers of the Royal Navy | Origins
Other similar warships include the 10 "Kriegsmarine" escort ships of the F-class and the two "Amiral Murgescu"-class vessels of the Romanian Navy. Postwar destroyer escorts and frigates were larger than those produced during wartime, with increased antiaircraft capability, but remained smaller and slower than postwar destroyers. As Cold War destroyer escorts became as large as wartime destroyers, the United States Navy converted some of their World War II destroyers to escort destroyers (DDE).
Destroyer escort | Introduction
This was a development of the 1939 class, with bigger engines and more anti-aircraft weapons. Fifteen were laid down or launched from 1942 but, by the end of the war, none had been completed.
German World War II destroyers | Flottentorpedoboot 1941
The Admiralen class were eight destroyers built for the Royal Netherlands Navy between 1926 and 1931. All ships fought in World War II and were scuttled or sunk.
Admiralen-class destroyer | Introduction
A new numbering series began in 1911; hence years of construction are appended in brackets below, to distinguish the two series.
List of destroyers of Germany | Introduction
The "Kriegsmarine" ordered "T61"–"T68" on 19 November 1940, although "T65"–"T68" were only provisional orders that were finalized on 6 January 1941. A batch of four more, "T69"–"T72", were ordered on 3 May and the final batch of twelve, "T73"–"T84", on 27 August. The contracts for "T67", "T68" and "T72" were transferred from Nederlandsche Scheepsbouw Maatschappij to other builders in September 1943 before construction began. The "Kriegsmarine" originally estimated that the first six ships would be assigned to the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla which was expected to be formed in early 1943. The destroyers probably had a lower priority for labor and materials than the large numbers of minesweepers being built in Dutch shipyards, so that the first ships were not laid down until 1942.
Type 40 torpedo boat | Construction
Z30 was one of fifteen Type 1936A destroyers built for the "Kriegsmarine" (German Navy) during World War II. Completed in 1941, the ship was transferred to Norwegian waters in early 1942 where she remained for most of the rest of her career, escorting convoys and laying minefields. She played a minor role in the indecisive Battle of the Barents Sea at the end of the year and was damaged during the raid on the island of Spitsbergen in September 1943. "Z30" was crippled when she struck a mine in late 1944 and spent the rest of the war under repair.
German destroyer Z30 | Introduction
They had four depth charge launchers and mine rails could be fitted on the rear deck that had a maximum capacity of 74–76 mines. 'GHG' (Gruppenhorchgerät) passive hydrophones were fitted to detect submarines and an "S-Gerät" sonar was also probably fitted. The ships were equipped with a "FuMO" 24/25 radar set above the bridge.
German destroyer Z35 | Design and description
Design work on the Type 34-class destroyers began in 1932, despite the limit imposed by the Versailles Treaty that had ended World War I. Initial designs were for large ships more powerful than the French and Polish destroyers then in service, but the design grew as the "Reichsmarine" now expected it to serve as a small cruiser. The Germans decided that they were going to ignore the restrictions since France and Britain weren't disarming, and an 800-ton destroyer would have been hopelessly outclassed by the destroyers being built by foreign navies. The specifications were finalized in 1934 and the four ships were ordered in July of that year.
Type 1934 destroyers | Background
The World War I era Pre-dreadnought battleships and were used mainly as training ships, although they also participated in several military operations, with the latter bearing the distinction of firing the opening shots of WWII. and were converted into radio-guided target ships in 1928 and 1930 respectively. was decommissioned in 1931 and struck from the naval register in 1936. Plans to convert her into a radio-controlled target ship for aircraft was canceled because of the outbreak of war in 1939.
Kriegsmarine | Pre-dreadnought battleships
On most ships four K-gun depth charge throwers were added to augment the as-built pair of depth charge racks. In "Davis" and "Jouett" the main armament was replaced by five dual-purpose guns in two twin and one single mount. Later in these two, the torpedo armament was eliminated along with two K-guns and one depth charge rack to maximize the number of 40 mm guns at 14, placed in two quad mounts and three twin mounts.
Somers-class destroyer | Armament
Z27 was one of fifteen Type 1936A destroyers built for the "Kriegsmarine" (German Navy) during World War II. Completed in 1941, the ship was transferred to Norwegian waters later that year where she remained for most of the next several years, escorting convoys and laying minefields. She sank a Soviet oil tanker in late 1942 before sailing to Germany for a refit. Upon its completion in mid-1943, "Z27" returned to Norway and participated in Operation "Zitronella", the raid on the island of Spitsbergen in September. The ship sailed to France the following month and became the flagship of the "8.
German destroyer Z27 | Introduction