Richard Beitzen file photo [8094]

1934-class Destroyer

CountryGermany
BuilderDeutsche Werke Shipyard, Kiel, Germany
Displacement3,206 tons full
Length390 feet
Beam37 feet
Draft14 feet
MachineryTwo Wagnergeared turbines, two shafts
Power Output70,000 shaft horsepower
Speed36 knots
Range1,900nm at 19 knots
Crew325
Armament5x127mm guns, 4x37mm guns, 6x20mm guns, 8x533mm torpedo tubes, 60 mines

Contributor:

This article refers to the entire 1934-class; it is not about an individual vessel.

ww2dbaseThe 1934-class destroyers were the first destroyers Germany built since WW1. They were designed in a rush and built rapidly, thus they were not seaworthy ships. In fact, when traveling on the high seas, the forward half of the ship would become so wet that the forward batteries would become unusable. Four were built: Leberecht Maas, Georg Thiele, Max Schulz, and Richard Beitzen. All four were built by Deutsche Werke in Kiel, Germany. Only the fourth ship, Richard Beitzen, survived WW2.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia.

Last Major Revision: Jul 2009

Photographs

German Zerstörer Z 4 Richard Beitzen underway, 1937German destroyers Z5 Paul Jakobi and Z1 Leberecht Maass seen in Division of Naval Inteligence of US Navy Department A503 FM30-50 booklet for identification of shipsGerman 1934-class destroyer and other ships in port in Narvik, Norway, 1940German destroyer Z11 Bernd von Arnim beached and scuttled in the fjord Rombaksbotn near Narvik, Norway, 1940

1934-class Destroyer Operational Timeline

27 Apr 1943 Jaguar, Greif, and Z4 Richard Beitzen escorted light cruiser Nürnberg out of Harstad, Norway toward Kiel, Germany.
3 May 1943 Light cruiser Nürnberg arrived at Kiel, Germany; Jaguar, Greif, and Z4 Richard Beitzen had escorted her to Kiel from Norway. Later that day, Jaguar, Greif, and Möwe escorted minelayers out of Kiel for the North Sea.




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More on 1934-class Destroyer
Ships of this Class:
» Z1 Leberecht Maass
» Z2 Georg Thiele
» Z3 Max Schultz
» Z4 Richard Beitzen

1934-class Destroyer Photo Gallery
German Zerstörer Z 4 Richard Beitzen underway, 1937
See all 4 photographs of 1934-class Destroyer


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