German destroyer Z18 Hans Lüdemann
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''Z18 Hans Lüdemann'' was one of six
Type 1936 destroyer 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 sai ...
s built for the '' Kriegsmarine'' (German Navy) in the late 1930s. Completed in 1938, the ship spent most of her time training. At the beginning of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
in September 1939, she was initially deployed to lay
minefields A land mine is an explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically detonated automati ...
off the German coast, but was soon transferred to the
Skagerrak The Skagerrak (, , ) is a strait running between the Jutland peninsula of Denmark, the southeast coast of Norway and the west coast of Sweden, connecting the North Sea and the Kattegat sea area through the Danish Straits to the Baltic Sea. T ...
where she inspected neutral shipping for contraband goods. In late 1939, ''Z18 Hans Lüdemann'' helped to lay two offensive minefields off the English coast that claimed one destroyer and twenty merchant ships. During the German invasion of Norway in April 1940, ''Z17 Diether von Roeder'' was tasked to attack Narvik and participated in both the First and Second Naval Battles of Narvik. She was damaged by British destroyers during the first battle and was one of the last surviving German destroyers during the second battle. After the British knocked out all of her guns, the ship was run ashore to allow the crew to abandon ship. They attempted to scuttle ''Z18 Hans Lüdemann'' with explosives to prevent her capture, but something went wrong and the British were able to board her. A British destroyer torpedoed her wreck to prevent any repairs.


Design and description

''Z18 Hans Lüdemann'' had an
overall length The overall length (OAL) of an ammunition cartridge is a measurement from the base of the brass shell casing to the tip of the bullet, seated into the brass casing. Cartridge overall length, or "COL", is important to safe functioning of reloads i ...
of and was long at the waterline. The ship had a
beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...
of , and a maximum
draft Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vesse ...
of . She displaced at
standard load The displacement or displacement tonnage of a ship is its weight. As the term indicates, it is measured indirectly, using Archimedes' principle, by first calculating the volume of water displaced by the ship, then converting that value into wei ...
and at
deep load The displacement or displacement tonnage of a ship is its weight. As the term indicates, it is measured indirectly, using Archimedes' principle, by first calculating the volume of water displaced by the ship, then converting that value into wei ...
. The two Wagner geared steam turbine sets, each driving one
propeller shaft A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, tailshaft (Australian English), propeller shaft (prop shaft), or Cardan shaft (after Girolamo Cardano) is a component for transmitting mechanical power and torque and rotation, usually used to connect ...
, were designed to produce using steam provided by six Wagner
water-tube boiler A high pressure watertube boiler (also spelled water-tube and water tube) is a type of boiler in which water circulates in tubes heated externally by the fire. Fuel is burned inside the furnace, creating hot gas which boils water in the steam-gen ...
s for a designed speed of . During ''Z18 Hans Lüdemann''s
sea trial A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred to as a " shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and ...
s on 9 January 1940, she reached from . The ship carried a maximum of of fuel oil which gave a range of at . Her crew consisted of 10 officers and 313 sailors.Gröner, p. 202 The ship carried five SK C/34 guns in single mounts with gun shields, two each superimposed, fore and aft of the superstructure. The fifth mount was positioned on top of the rear deckhouse. The guns were numbered from 1 to 5 from front to rear. Her anti-aircraft armament consisted of four SK C/30 guns in two twin mounts abreast the rear
funnel A funnel is a tube or pipe that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, used for guiding liquid or powder into a small opening. Funnels are usually made of stainless steel, aluminium, glass, or plastic. The material used in its construct ...
and six C/30 guns in single mounts. The ship carried eight above-water
torpedo tube A torpedo tube is a cylindrical device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units (also referred to as torpedo launchers) installed aboa ...
s in two power-operated mounts. Two reloads were provided for each mount. She had four depth charge launchers and mine rails could be fitted on the rear deck that had a maximum capacity of 60 mines. 'GHG' (
Gruppenhorchgerät The ''Gruppenhorchgerät'' ('group listening device', abbreviated GHG) was a hydrophone array which was used on Nazi Germany's U-boats in World War II. Development In World War I carbon microphones were still used as sound receivers. The individu ...
) passive
hydrophone A hydrophone ( grc, ὕδωρ + φωνή, , water + sound) is a microphone designed to be used underwater for recording or listening to underwater sound. Most hydrophones are based on a piezoelectric transducer that generates an electric potenti ...
s were fitted to detect submarines and an active
sonar Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigate, measure distances (ranging), communicate with or detect objects on o ...
system was installed by the end of 1939.


Service history

''Z18 Hans Lüdemann'' was named after Engineer- Midshipman Hans Lüdemann who saved the lives of the remaining men in the
engine room On a ship, the engine room (ER) is the compartment where the machinery for marine propulsion is located. To increase a vessel's safety and chances of surviving damage, the machinery necessary for the ship's operation may be segregated into var ...
in the
torpedo boat A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs were steam-powered craft dedicated to ramming enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes. Later evolutions launched variants of ...
after the high-pressure cylinder exploded on 14 May 1913. The ship was ordered from
AG Weser Aktien-Gesellschaft „Weser" (abbreviated A.G. „Weser”) was one of the major German shipbuilding companies, located at the Weser River in Bremen. Founded in 1872 it was finally closed in 1983. All together, A.G. „Weser" built about 1,400 ...
(
Deschimag Deutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau Aktiengesellschaft (abbreviated Deschimag) was a cooperation of eight German shipyards in the period 1926 to 1945. The leading company was the shipyard AG Weser in Bremen. History The Deschimag was founded in 1 ...
) on 6 January 1936. She was
laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one o ...
at Deschimag's Bremen shipyard as
yard number __NOTOC__ M ...
W920 on 9 September, launched on 1 December 1937, and commissioned on 8 October 1938. In July 1939, ''Z18 Hans Lüdemann'' joined her sisters and making port visits in Norway. When World War II began in September, she was initially deployed in the
German Bight The German Bight (german: Deutsche Bucht; da, tyske bugt; nl, Duitse bocht; fry, Dútske bocht; ; sometimes also the German Bay) is the southeastern bight of the North Sea bounded by the Netherlands and Germany to the south, and Denmark and ...
where she laid defensive minefields. The ship then patrolled the Skagerrak to inspect neutral shipping for contraband goods. On the night of 17/18 October, Rear Admiral (''Konteradmiral'')
Günther Lütjens Johann Günther Lütjens (25 May 1889 – 27 May 1941) was a German admiral whose military service spanned more than thirty years and two world wars. Lütjens is best known for his actions during World War II and his command of the battleship d ...
, aboard his flagship ''Z21 Wilhelm Heidkamp'', led , ''Z17 Diether von Roeder'', ''Z18 Hans Lüdemann'', ''Z19 Hermann Künne'', and ''Z20 Karl Galster'' as they laid a minefield off the mouth of the
River Humber The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers Ouse and Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between t ...
. The British were unaware of the minefield's existence and lost seven ships totaling . On the night of 12/13 November ''Z21 Wilhelm Heidkamp'', now the flagship of the Commander of Destroyers ('' Führer der Zerstörer''), ''
Kapitän zur See Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The rank is equal to the army rank of colonel and air force rank of group captain. Equivalent ranks worldwide include ...
'' (Captain)
Friedrich Bonte __NOTOC__ Friedrich Bonte (19 October 1896 – 10 April 1940) was the German naval officer commanding the destroyer flotilla that transported invasion troops to Narvik during the German invasion of Norway (Operation Weserübung) in April 1940. Bon ...
, escorted ''Z18 Hans Lüdemann'', ''Z19 Hermann Künne'', and ''Z20 Karl Galster'' as they laid 288
magnetic mines A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, any v ...
in the
Thames estuary The Thames Estuary is where the River Thames meets the waters of the North Sea, in the south-east of Great Britain. Limits An estuary can be defined according to different criteria (e.g. tidal, geographical, navigational or in terms of salini ...
. Once again unaware of the minefield's existence, the British lost the destroyer and thirteen merchant ships displacing 48,728 GRT. On 1 December she began a refit at Stettin that lasted for three months.


Norwegian Campaign

''Z18 Hans Lüdemann'' was allocated to Group 1 for the Norwegian portion of
Operation Weserübung Operation Weserübung (german: Unternehmen Weserübung , , 9 April – 10 June 1940) was Germany's assault on Denmark and Norway during the Second World War and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign. In the early morning of 9 Ap ...
in April 1940. The group's task was to transport the 139th Mountain Infantry Regiment (''139. Gebirgsjäger Regiment'') and the headquarters of the 3rd Mountain Division (''3. Gebirgs-Division'') to seize Narvik. The ships began loading troops on 6 April and set sail the next day. When they arrived off the
Ofotfjord Ofotfjord ( or ) is a fjord in Nordland county, Norway. It is an inlet of the Norwegian Sea, located about north of the Arctic Circle. The long Ofotfjord is Norway's 12th longest fjord and it is also the 18th deepest, with a maximum depth of . ...
on the morning of 9 April, ''Z18 Hans Lüdemann'' and landed their troops at the
Ramnes Ramnes is a village in Tønsberg municipality, and former municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. The village of Ramnes was the administrative centre of the municipality. Summary The parish of ''Ramnæs'' was established as a muni ...
narrows to search for the
coastal artillery Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications. From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form of ...
positions that the Germans mistakenly believed to command the mouth of the
fjord In physical geography, a fjord or fiord () is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Alaska, Antarctica, British Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Förden and East Jutland Fjorde, Germany, ...
. ''Z17 Diether von Roeder'' remained offshore to provide support if necessary and to serve as a
picket ship A radar picket is a radar-equipped station, ship, submarine, aircraft, or vehicle used to increase the radar detection range around a nation or military (including naval) force to protect it from surprise attack, typically air attack, or from cr ...
in case the British intended to interfere with the operation. About 11:00 the troops were ordered to reboard their destroyers which proceeded to Narvik. Shortly after midnight, ''Z18 Hans Lüdemann'' was ordered to start fuelling from the whale
factory ship A factory ship, also known as a fish processing vessel, is a large ocean-going vessel with extensive on-board facilities for processing and freezing caught fish or whales. Modern factory ships are automated and enlarged versions of the earlier wh ...
. Shortly after dawn on 10 April, the ship was still tied up to ''Jan Wellem'' when the five destroyers of the British
2nd Destroyer Flotilla The British 2nd Destroyer Flotilla (also styled as Second Destroyer Flotilla) was a naval formation of the Royal Navy from 1909 to 1943 and again from 1945 to 1946. History The 2nd Destroyer Flotilla originated in early 1907 as a part of a Home ...
, ''Hardy'', ''Havock'', ''Hunter'', ''Hotspur'', and ''Hero'' appeared. As soon as the German destroyer maneuvered clear of the tanker, she fired at ''Havock'', without scoring any hits in the dark and snow. The British ship returned fire, disabling one of ''Z18 Hans Lüdemann''s forward guns, severing the
rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally air or water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adve ...
controls, and started a fire that caused one of the magazines to be flooded. At 05:15 the ship radioed to the other destroyers anchored in the Herjangsfjord and near
Ballangen Ballangen ( sme, Bálák) is a former municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1925 until its dissolution in 2020. The municipality was part of the traditional district of Ofoten. The administrative centre of th ...
. Fifteen minutes later, the British decided to attack Narvik again and her crew had managed to make some repairs in the meantime. The ship fired four torpedoes at the attacking British ship, but missed with all of them, possibly because their depth controls were set too deep. She hit ''Hostile'' once with a 12.7 cm shell during the second attack, but inflicted only minor damage. ''Z18 Hans Lüdemann'' completed temporary repairs and was operational by 11 April. On the night of 12/13 April, Commander (''Fregattenkapitän'')
Erich Bey Konteradmiral Erich Bey (23 March 1898 – 26 December 1943) was a German admiral during World War II. He served as commander of the Kriegsmarine's destroyer forces and commanded the battleship ''Scharnhorst'' in the Battle of the North Cape ...
, the senior surviving German officer, received word to expect an attack the following day by British
capital ship The capital ships of a navy are its most important warships; they are generally the larger ships when compared to other warships in their respective fleet. A capital ship is generally a leading or a primary ship in a naval fleet. Strategic im ...
s escorted by a large number of destroyers and supported by carrier aircraft. The battleship and nine destroyers duly appeared on 13 April, although earlier than Bey had expected, and caught the Germans out of position. ''Z19 Hermann Künne'', leading westwards to take up her position flanking the entrance to the fjord, was the first ship to spot the approaching British ships and alerted Bey. The five operable destroyers, including ''Z18 Hans Lüdemann'', charged out of Narvik harbor and engaged the British ships at long range from behind a
smoke screen A smoke screen is smoke released to mask the movement or location of military units such as infantry, tanks, aircraft, or ships. Smoke screens are commonly deployed either by a canister (such as a grenade) or generated by a vehicle (such as ...
. Although no hits were scored, they did inflict splinter damage on several of the destroyers. Lack of ammunition forced the German ships to retreat to the Rombaksfjorden (the easternmost branch of the Ofotfjord), east of Narvik, where they might attempt to ambush any pursuing British destroyers. ''Z18 Hans Lüdemann'' still had some ammunition and torpedoes left and took up position at the Straumen narrows with to give the two remaining destroyers time to scuttle themselves at the head of the fjord. The pursuing British destroyers initially engaged ''Z18 Hans Lüdemann'', which had opened fire at a range of about to little effect. Her four remaining torpedoes were fired blindly, one of which was observed to pass under , and all missed. Shortly afterwards hit the German destroyer twice, destroying No. 4 and No. 5 guns and damaging No. 3 gun, the only ones that could bear on the British ships.
Lieutenant Commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding ran ...
(''Korvettenkapitän'') Herbert Friedrichs, captain of the ship, decided to withdraw as she could no longer fight the British ships and beached the ship at the head of the fjord. He ordered her rigged for demolition and abandoned ship while ''Z2 Georg Thiele'' continued to fight. Several hours later, after the latter ship was destroyed, the destroyers ''Hero'' and approached and found ''Z18 Hans Lüdemann'' still intact, the demolition charges having failed. The former sent a boarding party aboard, but they found nothing but souvenirs and ''Hero'', following her orders to destroy all of the German destroyers, torpedoed her wreck.Haar, pp. 366–69


Notes


References

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External links


Kriegsmarine destroyers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Z18 Hans Ludemann 1937 ships Ships built in Bremen (state) Type 1936 destroyers Maritime incidents in April 1940 World War II shipwrecks in the Norwegian Sea