German destroyer Z4 Richard Beitzen

Underway, 1937
History
Nazi Germany
Name:	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:	2,323 long tons (2,360 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 32–64 depth charges, 4 throwers and 6 individual racks

The German destroyer Z4 Richard Beitzen was a Type 1934 destroyer built for the Kriegsmarine during the 1930s. At the beginning of World War II in September 1939, the ship was initially deployed to blockade the Polish coast, but she 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. 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 1941 as part of the preparations for Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union. 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 escorted several German 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.

Richard Beitzen spent much of 1943 escorting ships to and from Norway until November when she ran aground in November. Badly damaged, repairs lasted until August 1944 when she returned to Norway and resumed her former duties. The ship had another grounding incident in November 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. Richard Beitzen was eventually allocated to the British when the surviving warships were divided between the Allies after the war. They made no use of the ship before scrapping her in 1949.