Type 1934A-class destroyer

300px Z5 Paul Jacobi c. 1938
Class overview
Builders:	AG Weser, Bremen Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft, Kiel Blohm & Voß, Hamburg
Operators:	Kriegsmarine French Navy Soviet Navy Royal Navy
Preceded by:	Type 1934 class
Succeeded by:	Type 1936 class
Built:	1935–1936
In commission:	1937–1958
Completed:	12
Lost:	7
Scrapped:	5
General characteristics (as built)
Class & type:	Destroyer
Displacement:	2,171–2,270 long tons (2,206–2,306 t)
Length:	119 m (390 ft 5 in) o/a 114 m (374 ft) w/l
Beam:	11.3 m (37 ft 1 in)
Draft:	4.23 m (13 ft 11 in)
Installed power:	70,000 PS (51,485 kW; 69,042 shp) 6 × water-tube boilers
Propulsion:	2 shafts; 2 × Wagner geared steam turbines
Speed:	36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph)
Range:	1,825 nmi (3,380 km; 2,100 mi) at 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph)
Complement:	325
Armament:	5 × single 12.7 cm (5 in) guns 2 × twin 3.7 cm (1.5 in) guns 6 × single 2 cm (0.79 in) guns 2 × quadruple 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes 60 mines 32–64 depth charges, 4 throwers and 6 individual racks

The Type 1934A-class destroyer consisted of a dozen ships laid down between July and November 1935. They were only slightly modified from the design of the preceding 1934 class and continued their predecessors' limited endurance and magazine capacity - factors which contributed to the heavy German losses at the Second Battle of Narvik. Five survived the war.

Design and description

The Type 1934A had an overall length of 119 meters (390 ft 5 in) and were 114 meters (374 ft) long at the waterline. They had a beam of 11.3 meters (37 ft 1 in), and a maximum draft of 4.23 meters (13 ft 11 in). They displaced 2,171–2,270 long tons (2,206–2,306 t) at standard load and 3,110–3,190 long tons (3,160–3,240 t) at deep load. The Wagner geared steam turbines were designed to produce 70,000 metric horsepower (51,485 kW; 69,042 shp) which would propel the ship at . Steam was provided to the turbines by six Wagner or Benson boilers with superheaters. The Wagner boilers had a pressure of 70 kg/cm² (6,865 kPa; 996 psi) and a working temperature of 460 °C (860 °F) while the Benson boilers used 110 kg/cm² (10,787 kPa; 1,565 psi) at 510 °C (950 °F). The Type 1934A carried a maximum of 752 metric tons (740 long tons) of fuel oil which was intended to give a range of 4,400 nmi (8,100 km; 5,100 mi) at 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph), but the ships proved top-heavy in service and 30% of the fuel had to be retained as ballast low in the ship. The effective range proved to be only 1,825 nmi (3,380 km; 2,100 mi) at 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph).

The Type 1934A-class ships carried five 12.7 cm SK C/34 guns in single mounts, protected by large gun shields, two each superimposed, fore and aft. The fifth gun was carried on top of the rear deckhouse. Their anti-aircraft armament consisted of four 3.7 cm SK C/30 guns in two twin mounts abreast the rear funnel and six 2 cm C/30 guns in single mounts. The ships carried eight above-water 53.3-centimeter (21 in) torpedo tubes in two power-operated mounts. Four depth charge throwers were mounted on the sides of the rear deckhouse and they were supplemented by six racks for individual depth charges on the sides of the stern. Enough depth charges were carried for either two-four patterns of 16 charges each. Mine rails were fitted on the rear deck that had a maximum capacity of 60 mines.

Ships

Z5 Paul Jacobi	Laid down: DeSchiMAG Bremen, 15 July 1935 Launched: 24 March 1936 Commissioned: 29 June 1937 Fate: Transferred to France as a reparation Desaix, scrapped 1958 Named after Paul Jacobi
Z6 Theodor Riedel	Laid down: DeSchiMAG Bremen, 18 July 1935 Launched: 22 April 1936 Commissioned: 2 July 1937 Fate: Transferred to France as the Kleber, scrapped 1958 Named after Theodor Riedel
Z7 Hermann Schoemann	Laid down: DeSchiMAG Bremen, 7 September 1935 Launched: 16 July 1936 Commissioned: 9 September 1937 Fate: sunk 2 May 1942 by the British cruiser Edinburgh Named after Hermann Schoemann
Z8 Bruno Heinemann	Laid down: DeSchiMAG Bremen, 14 January 1936 Launched: 15 September 1936 Commissioned: 8 January 1938 Fate: sunk 25 January 1942 by a mine near Calais Named after Bruno Heinemann
Z9 Wolfgang Zenker	Laid down: Germaniawerft Kiel, 23 March 1935 Launched: 27 March 1936 Commissioned: 2 July 1938 Fate: scuttled on 13 April 1940 Named after Wolfgang Zenker
Z10 Hans Lody	Laid down: Germaniawerft Kiel, 1 April 1935 Launched: 14 May 1936 Commissioned: 13 September 1938 Fate: Taken over by the United Kingdom after the war and used as a trials ship, scrapped 1946 - 1949 Named after Carl Hans Lody
Z11 Bernd von Arnim	Laid down: Germaniawerft Kiel, 26 April 1935 Launched: 8 July 1936 Commissioned: 6 December 1938 Fate: scuttled on 13 April 1940 Named after Bernd von Arnim
Z12 Erich Giese	Laid down: Germaniawerft Kiel, 3 May 1935 Launched: 12 March 1937 Commissioned: 4 March 1939 Fate: sunk 13 April 1940 Named after Erich Giese
Z13 Erich Koellner	Laid down: Germaniawerft Kiel, 12 October 1935 Launched: 18 March 1937 Commissioned: 28 March 1939 Fate: sunk 13 April 1940 Named after Erich Koellner
Z14 Friedrich Ihn	Laid down: Blohm & Voss Hamburg, 30 March 1935 Launched: 5 November 1935 Commissioned: 6 April 1938 Fate: Transferred to the Soviet Union, served in the Baltic Fleet as the Prytkiy (Прыткий) scrapped 1952 Named after Friedrich Ihn
Z15 Erich Steinbrinck	Laid down: Blohm & Voss Hamburg, 30 March 1935 Launched: 24 September 1936 Commissioned: 31 May 1938 Fate: Transferred to the Soviet Union, served in the Baltic Fleet as the Pylkiy (Пылкий) scrapped 1958 Named after Erich Steinbrinck
Z16 Friedrich Eckoldt	Laid down: Blohm & Voss Hamburg, 14 November 1935 Launched: 21 March 1937 Commissioned: 28 July 1938 Fate: sunk 31 December 1942 by HMS Sheffield Named after Friedrich Eckoldt

External links

• Kriegsmarine destroyers