German destroyer Z4 Richard Beitzen

Z4 Richard Beitzen underway, 1937
History
Nazi Germany
Name	Z4 Richard Beitzen
Namesake	Richard Beitzen
Ordered	7 July 1934
Builder	Deutsche Werke, Kiel
Yard number	K245
Laid down	7 January 1935
Launched	30 November 1935
Commissioned	13 May 1937
Fate	Scrapped, 1949
General characteristics (as built)
Class and type	Type 1934 destroyer
Displacement	2,223 long tons (2,259 t) (standard) 3,156 long tons (3,207 t) (deep load)
Length	119 m (390 ft 5 in) (o/a) 114 m (374 ft 0 in) (w/l)
Beam	11.30 m (37 ft 1 in)
Draft	4.23 m (13 ft 11 in)
Installed power	70,000 PS (51,000 kW; 69,000 shp) 6 × water-tube boilers
Propulsion	2 shafts, 2 × geared steam turbines
Speed	36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph)
Range	1,530 nmi (2,830 km; 1,760 mi) at 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph)
Complement	325
Armament	5 × single 12.7 cm (5 in) guns 2 × twin 3.7 cm (1.5 in) AA guns 6 × single 2 cm (0.8 in) AA guns 2 × quadruple 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes 60 mines 4 depth charge throwers

The German destroyer Z4 Richard Beitzen was one of four Type 1934 destroyers built for the German Navy (Kriegsmarine) during the mid-1930s. Completed in 1937, the ship spent most of her time training although she did participate in the occupation of Memel in early 1939. At the beginning of World War II in September 1939, the ship was initially deployed to blockade the Polish coast, but was soon transferred to the Kattegat where she inspected neutral shipping for contraband goods. In late 1939 and early 1940, the ship laid two offensive minefields off the English coast that claimed 17 merchant ships. Z4 Richard Beitzen was in reserve during the Norwegian Campaign of early 1940 and was transferred to France later that year, where she made several attacks on British shipping.

The ship returned to Germany in early 1941 for a refit and was transferred to Norway in June as part of the preparations for Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Z4 Richard Beitzen spent some time at the beginning of the campaign conducting anti-shipping patrols in Soviet waters but these were generally fruitless. She escorted a number of German convoys in the Arctic later in the year. The ship was briefly transferred to France in early 1942 in preparation for the Channel Dash where she was one of the escorts for two battleships and a heavy cruiser as they sailed from Brest, France, through the English Channel, to Germany, before returning to Norway. Z4 Richard Beitzen escorted several heavy cruisers at the beginning and end of their anti-shipping raids in 1942. She participated in the Battle of the Barents Sea when Convoy JW 51B was attacked on 31 December 1942 near the North Cape, Norway.

Z4 Richard Beitzen spent much of 1943 escorting ships to and from Norway until she ran aground in November. Badly damaged, repairs lasted until the following August when she returned to Norway and resumed her former duties. The ship had another grounding incident in October 1944 and was under repair until February 1945. While escorting a convoy in April, she was badly damaged by aircraft and was still under repair when the war ended on 9 May. Z4 Richard Beitzen was eventually allocated to the British, when the surviving German warships were divided between the Allies after the war. They made no use of the ship before scrapping her in 1949.