Z23

Design

The Type 1936A destroyers had similar hull and structural designs to their predecessors, the Type 1936 (Z17 class, which included Z20 Karl Galster). The “Z23 class” was most notable for their guns, having unusual caliber of 150mm- usually only found on light cruisers (the previous two classes had 12.7mm guns).

History

Between March and June 1941, Z23 escorted key warships of the Kriegsmarine between the Baltic Sea and southern Norway. Among the “schiffes” notably escorted were the battleship Bismarck, heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper and pocket battleship Admiral Scheer. On 12-13th June, Z23 was one of the destroyers which escorted the pocket battleship Lützow (previously Deutschland) which was about to break into the Atlantic.

On 13th January 1942, Z23 and Z24 lays minefield while escorted by Z25 in the western channel of the White Sea, and a week later, on 20th January, Z23 accidentally rammed Z24 in heavy fog. Z24 returned to Wesermünde and Z23 sailed to Trondheim for repairs and a refit till August. On 23-24 October, Z23 escorted Tirpitz and Admiral Scheer before returning to Altafjord with light cruiser Nürnberg. Z23’s engine problems prevented her from taking part in Operation Regenbogen at the end of the year.

On 27th December 1943, the “8th Zerflo” and 6 torpedo boats of the 4th Torpedobootflottile set sail to rendezvous with blockade runner MV Alsterufer, which was already sunk by a British bomber. Later the Allies conducted Operation Stonewall to intercept German blockade runners and their escorts. There Z23 and the other German ships encountered British light cruisers HMS Glasgow and HMS Enterprise (the same name as the USN’s CV-6) in The Battle of the Bay of Biscay. At the end of the confusion, the German fleet lost torpedo boats T26, T25 and destroyer Z27.

On 30th January 1944, Z23 carried out exercises in the south of the Bay of Biscay and towed Z32 to port when Z32 collided with Z37. Later in the year, she escorted U-boats throughout the bay. On 12th August, she was docked at La Pallice when 14 Lancaster bombers attacked her and heavily damaged her. She was deemed a constructive total loss, and on the 20th, she was decommissioned and scuttled the following day.

The French refloated the ship in 1945 to use her for spares. Z23 was ultimately scrapped in 1951.

• Z23 famously stars as a shipgirl in the anime media Azur Lane, where she is one of the mobile game's choice starter ships in the English and Chinese servers, while she is also obtainable in later game in the Japanese and Korean servers.

• Z23 appears in World of Warships, albeit with inaccurate armament comprising of 128mm guns replacing her 15cm guns since the introduction of newer German destroyers in the game.

In Suyukaz's Works and Fiction

• The Z23 is Suyukaz's most favorite historical German destroyer, and also his most favorite character in Azur Lane (his interest most likely started from the latter). Azur Lane's Z23 was the most drawn Azur Lane character by Suyukaz.

• The ship was one of the inspirations for the Miraikaze-class destroyer.