- Yes
- No
- 1937 As Built
- 1938 Bridge and Bow change
- 1941 Refit
- 1944 Bow change
- No refit
As we look at the Type 1934 Klasse or aka Maass Klasse. I will be looking at Thee Z4 Richard Beitzen (11). She was the only one in her class to survive the war with the other sister ships either being destroyed by friendly bombing by He111’s or beached. This is the only completed class of destroyers not represented in the game yet.
She was name after Richard Beitzen who was killed March 1918 in action. Her Schwesterschiff were named after German world war I naval heroes. She was ordered July 7, 1934, and laid down on January 7, 1935. Her and her sisters were built by Deutsche Werke, Kiel. She was commissioned on May 13, 1937.
In April of ’38, Z2, Z3 and herself were brought back to Deutsche Werke in Kiel to rebuild her bow to decrease the amount of water coming over the front of the bow and front 128mm gun mount. The update would change her bridge from a round bridge to the smooth bulkhead bridge and an update to her bow. In 1940 she received an Active Soner system (FuMO-21(Funkmess-Ortung)) at the end of 1940.
On May 16, 1941, she would receive a refit that would replace the 2cm C/30 guns to the 2cm C/38 the two guns aft were replaced by a single 2cm Flak-Vierling mount. In 1943 her funnel was shortened by 0.7m at the front and 0.2m at the back to match the Type 1936 design. In 1944 she had temporary repairs from running aground to ensure she could make it to Settin, Poland on 23rd of December where she would receive a new cantilever bow and an upgraded radar (FuMO-25) and a Observation Device (FuMB-31 (Funkmeßbeobachtungsgerät) Palau).
She would take part in Operation Wikinger. Where infamously He-111’s from KG 26 would hit the Z1 and Z3 would hit a mine and sink with all crew to rescue the Z1’s crew. During Operation Regenbogen, Z16 and Z4 would mistake Sheffield for Admiral Hipper to which Sheffield would open up at 4000 meters killing Z16 with all her crew. Z4 would manage to escape from the fire fight. She would run aground on October 27, 1943. Which would cause her to repair in Stettin, Poland and would not be operational again until August 5, 1943, at Horten, Norway. She would run around again in November that same year. She would not be operational until February 15, 1945.
She would be badly damaged by close range bomb on April 24, 1945, while on escort duty she would continue her duty at 15 kts until the convoy would make it to port. She docked in Oslo, Norway. On May 14, she would be decommissioned and her crew taken as POWs. She was hand over to the Norwegian Navy on July 15 and towed Horten. In February 1946 she would be brought by Great Britain and used as a target ship to which in 1949 was then sold for scrap in Gateshead. Ending a long career.
TYPE 1934 KLASSE
General characteristics
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Displacement: 2,223lt (2,259 t) Standard / 3,156lt (3,207t) Deep
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Length: 114m (374 ft) long between perpendiculars, 119 m (390 ft 5 in) overall.
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Beam: 11.30m (37.1ft)
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Draft: 4.23m (13.11ft)
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Speed: 36kts (38.7 actual) (67km/h, 41mph)/ Cruising: 19kts (35km/h, 22mph)
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Crew: 315 Enlisted and 10 Officers (addition 19 Enlisted and 4 Officers (if flotilla flagship)
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Installed power 70,000 PS (51,000 kW; 69,000 shp) 6 × Wagner water-tube boilers
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Propulsion 2 × shafts, 2 × Wagner geared steam turbines
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Sensors: Passive Hydrophone GHG (Gruppenhorchgerät) at Commission
Armament
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5 × 12.7 cm (5 in) guns
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4 × 3.7 cm (1.5 in) AA guns
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6 × 2 cm (0.79 in) AA guns
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2 × 4 - 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (G7)
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4 × depth charge launchers
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60 × mines
Photos:
Sources:
Naval Institute Press, German Naval Vessels of World War Two
Winkklareth, Robert J. The Battle of the Demark Strait
Mallmann Showell, Jak P. Hitler’s Navy
Thomer, Egbert Torpedo und Zerstorer
Asmussen, John & Leon Eric German Naval Camouflage V1- V2
Zerstorer Z4 (Lexikon der Wehrmacht - Zerstörer)
Type 1934 (WW2Ships.com: 1934-Type Destroyer (Z1-Class))
Z4 (Z4 Richard Beitzen : Destroyers)
German Z4 (German destroyer Z4 Richard Beitzen - Wikipedia)
German destroyer Z4 Richard Beitzen (German destroyer Z4 Richard Beitzen - Alchetron, the free social encyclopedia)
FeldGrau (Z4 Richard Beitzen - Feldgrau)
Naval Encyclopedia (1934 Type Destroyers)
Everything Explained (German destroyer Z4 Richard Beitzen explained)