German destroyer Z43
Encyclopedia
Z43 was a Type 1936B destroyer
of the German Kriegsmarine
. She was laid down on 1 May 1942 at Deschimag in Bremen
, launched on 22 September 1943 and commissioned on 24 March 1944. Her service was with the 6th Destroyer Flotilla in the Baltic Sea
under the command of Kapitän zur See Wenniger and later Fregattenkapitän Lampe. She mainly escorted ships, including the German pocket battleship Admiral Scheer
, and participated in a minelaying operation in December of 1944, where her sisters Z35
and Z36
were sunk. She was badly damaged by a mine on 10 April 1945, and scuttled on May 3 of that same year.
s could be depressed to -10° and raised to 30°. They had an arc of fire of 360°, meaning that they could rotate a full circle, able to fire at any given point. The guns fired 28 kilograms (61.7 lb) high-explosive shells at a muzzle velocity of 830 metres per second (2,723.1 ft/s) to a range of 17400 metres (19,028.9 yd). The destroyer also carried four 3.7 cm (1.5 in) anti-aircraft guns
and six 2 cm (0.78740157480315 in) anti-aircraft guns in pairs. She had eight 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes and, when fitted as a minelayer, could carry 76 mines.
Type 1936B destroyer
The Type 1936B class of destroyers was a class of five destroyers built for the German Kriegsmarine between 1941 and 1942, of which only three - Z36, Z35, and Z43 - were commissioned and saw service...
of the German Kriegsmarine
Kriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
. She was laid down on 1 May 1942 at Deschimag in Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
, launched on 22 September 1943 and commissioned on 24 March 1944. Her service was with the 6th Destroyer Flotilla in the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
under the command of Kapitän zur See Wenniger and later Fregattenkapitän Lampe. She mainly escorted ships, including the German pocket battleship Admiral Scheer
German pocket battleship Admiral Scheer
Admiral Scheer was a Deutschland-class heavy cruiser which served with the Kriegsmarine of Nazi Germany during World War II. The vessel was named after Admiral Reinhard Scheer, German commander in the Battle of Jutland. She was laid down at the Reichsmarinewerft shipyard in Wilhelmshaven in June...
, and participated in a minelaying operation in December of 1944, where her sisters Z35
German destroyer Z35
Z35 was a Type 1936B destroyer of the German Kriegsmarine. She was laid down on 6 June 1941 at Deschimag in Bremen, launched on 2 October 1942 and commissioned on 22 September 1943. Her service was with the 6th Destroyer Flotilla in the Baltic Sea under the command of Kapitänleutnant Niels Bätge...
and Z36
German destroyer Z36
Z36 was a Type 1936B destroyer of the German Kriegsmarine. She was laid down on 15 September 1941 at Deschimag in Bremen, launched on 15 May 1943 and commissioned on 19 February 1944. Her service was with the 6th Destroyer Florilla in the Baltic Sea under the command of Kapitan Kommendant Fredric...
were sunk. She was badly damaged by a mine on 10 April 1945, and scuttled on May 3 of that same year.
Design
The Z43 was a Type 1936B destroyer class, which meant that the twin 15.9 cm (6.3 in) turret positioned on the bow and stern of the ship were removed. This was because the older Type 1936A class of destroyers were deemed less stable. The two twin turrets, which were planned to have been used on the O class battlecruisers but diverted due to time constraints were removed and replaced with five single 12.7 centimetres (5 in) turrets, along with more anti-aircraft defences. Besides that, the ship retained the main characteristics of the 1936A class. They displaced 2527 tonnes (2,487.1 LT), and were manned by 321 sailors and officers. Although they had a maximum speed of 38 knots (20.7 m/s), their range was 6200 metres (6.2 km) at 19 knots (10.3 m/s). Her main armament of five 12.7 cm SK C/34 naval gun12.7 cm SK C/34 naval gun
The 12.7 cm SK C/34 was a German medium-caliber naval gun deployed on destroyers from 1934 through the Second World War. Some of these guns remained in service until 2003 in the coastal defense units of Norway.-Characteristics:...
s could be depressed to -10° and raised to 30°. They had an arc of fire of 360°, meaning that they could rotate a full circle, able to fire at any given point. The guns fired 28 kilograms (61.7 lb) high-explosive shells at a muzzle velocity of 830 metres per second (2,723.1 ft/s) to a range of 17400 metres (19,028.9 yd). The destroyer also carried four 3.7 cm (1.5 in) anti-aircraft guns
3.7 cm SK C/30
The 3.7 cm SK C/30 was the German Kriegsmarine's primary anti-aircraft gun during the Second World War...
and six 2 cm (0.78740157480315 in) anti-aircraft guns in pairs. She had eight 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes and, when fitted as a minelayer, could carry 76 mines.