German destroyer Z11 Bernd von Arnim

Coordinates: 68°25′N 17°54′E / 68.417°N 17.900°E / 68.417; 17.900
This is a good article. Click here for more information.
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

History
Nazi Germany
NameZ11 Bernd von Arnim
NamesakeBernd von Arnim
Ordered9 January 1935
BuilderGermania, Kiel
Yard numberG537
Laid down26 April 1935
Launched8 July 1936
Completed6 December 1938
Fate
Scuttled
, 13 April 1940
General characteristics (as built)
Class and type
Type 1934A-class destroyer
Displacement
Length
  • 119 m (390 ft 5 in)
    o/a
  • 114 m (374 ft 0 in)
    w/l
Beam11.30 m (37 ft 1 in)
Draft4.23 m (13 ft 11 in)
Installed power
Propulsion2 shafts, 2 × geared steam turbines
Speed36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph)
Range1,530 nmi (2,830 km; 1,760 mi) at 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph)
Complement325
Armament

Z11 Bernd von Arnim was a

scuttled
after she exhausted her ammunition.

Design and description

Bernd von Arnim had an

ballast low in the ship.[2] The effective range proved to be only 1,530 nmi (2,830 km; 1,760 mi) at 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph).[3]

Bernd von Arnim carried five

2 cm C/30 guns in single mounts. The ship carried eight above-water 53.3-centimeter (21.0 in) torpedo tubes in two power-operated mounts. A pair of reload torpedoes were provided for each mount.[1][4] 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 or four patterns of 16 charges each.[5] Mine rails could be fitted on the rear deck that had a maximum capacity of 60 mines.[1] 'GHG' (Gruppenhorchgerät) passive hydrophones were fitted to detect submarines.[6]

Career

The ship was ordered on 4 August 1934 and

Gross Register Tons (GRT) were sunk by this minefield.[12] Four days later, she was one of the destroyers escorting the battleships Gneisenau and Scharnhorst through the North Sea to break out into the North Atlantic.[8] Together with her sisters Hans Lody and Erich Giese, Bernd von Arnim was to lay a minefield off Cromer during the night of 6/7 December, but she had trouble with two of her boilers and had to shut them down. The ship was ordered to return to port while the other two destroyers continued their mission.[13]

Norwegian campaign

See also: Battles of Narvik

Bernd von Arnim was allocated to Group 1 for the Norwegian portion of

Curt Rechel, captain of von Arnim, turned his ship to the north-east, closer to the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper. The ships exchanged fire without effect for an hour until Hipper came within range and sank Glowworm shortly afterward.[15]

The German destroyers reached the

capsized and sank. None of the Norwegian shells hit either of the two German destroyers due to the darkness and falling snow, despite the short range. Von Arnim lowered boats to rescue the surviving Norwegian sailors and was able to pick up 96 men together with boats from the merchantmen in harbor.[17]

A map of the Ofotfjord

Von Arnim and Thiele were the first to refuel from the single tanker that had made it safely to Narvik[18] and later moved to the Ballangenfjord, a southern arm of the Ofotfjord, closer to the entrance.[19] Shortly before dawn on 10 April, the five destroyers of the British 2nd Destroyer Flotilla surprised the five German destroyers in Narvik harbor. They torpedoed two destroyers and badly damaged the other three while suffering only minor damage themselves. As they were beginning to withdraw they encountered the three destroyers of the 4th Flotilla which had been alerted in the Herjansfjord when the British began their attack. The Germans opened fire first, but the gunnery for both sides was not effective due to the mist and the smoke screen laid by the British as they retreated down the Ofotfjord. The German ships had to turn away to avoid a salvo of three torpedoes fired by one of the destroyers in Narvik, but von Arnim and Thiele had also been alerted and were coming up to engage the British.[20]

The two German destroyers

beach herself lest she sink, and the German ships switched their fire to HMS Havock, the next ship in line. Their fire was relatively ineffective and both sides fired torpedoes without scoring any hits. Havock pulled out and dropped to the rear to fight off any pursuit by the ships of the 4th Flotilla. This placed HMS Hunter in the lead and she was quickly set on fire by the German ships. Thiele probably also hit her with a torpedo and she was rammed from behind by HMS Hotspur when the latter ship lost steering control. Hotspur was able to disengage, but Hunter capsized shortly afterward. The three remaining British ships were able to escape from the Germans under the cover of a smoke screen.[21] Von Arnim had been hit by five British shells, which had knocked out one boiler. This was repaired by the morning of 13 April and she received six torpedoes from the badly damaged destroyers.[22]

Wreck of Bernd von Arnim in the Rombaksfjorden

On the night of 12 April, Commander

the campaign until the British evacuated the area in June.[25]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Groener, p. 199
  2. ^ Whitley, p. 18
  3. ^ Koop and Schmolke, p. 26
  4. ^ Whitley, p. 68
  5. ^ Whitley, p. 215
  6. ^ Whitley, pp. 71–72
  7. ^ Whitley, p. 204
  8. ^ a b Koop and Schmolke, p. 91
  9. ^ Rohwer, pp. 2–3, 5, 7
  10. ^ Rohwer, p. 9
  11. ^ Whitley, p. 89
  12. ^ Hervieux, p. 112
  13. ^ Whitley, pp. 89–90
  14. ^ Whitley, p. 96
  15. ^ Haarr, pp. 91–93
  16. ^ Haarr, p. 323
  17. ^ a b Haarr, pp. 327
  18. ^ Haarr, p. 334
  19. ^ Whitley, p. 99
  20. ^ Harr, pp. 339–43
  21. ^ Haarr, pp. 344–47
  22. ^ Whitley, p. 101
  23. ^ Haarr, pp. 356–57, 362, 366
  24. ^ Whitley, p. 103
  25. ^ Haarr, pp. 368, 373–74

References

  • ISBN 0-87021-790-9
    .
  • Haarr, Geirr H. (2009). The German Invasion of Norway, April 1940. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.
    ISBN 978-1-59114-310-9
    .
  • Hervieux, Pierre (1980). "German Destroyer Minelaying Operations Off the English Coast (1940–1941)". In Roberts, John (ed.). Warship. Vol. IV. Greenwich, England: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 110–116.
    ISBN 0-87021-979-0
    .
  • Koop, Gerhard; Schmolke, Klaus-Peter (2003). German Destroyers of World War II. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.
    ISBN 1-59114-307-1
    .
  • ISBN 1-59114-119-2
    .
  • ISBN 978-1-55750-302-2
    .

External links

68°25′N 17°54′E / 68.417°N 17.900°E / 68.417; 17.900

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=German_destroyer_Z11_Bernd_von_Arnim&oldid=1122237510"