German destroyer Z7 Hermann Schoemann
Sister ship Z4 Richard Beitzen underway, 1937
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| History | |
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 Nazi Germany
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| Name: | Z7 Hermann Schoemann |
| Namesake: | Hermann Schoemann |
| Ordered: | 9 January 1935 |
| Builder: | DeSchiMAG, Bremen |
| Yard number: | W901 |
| Laid down: | 15 July 1935 |
| Launched: | 24 March 1936 |
| Completed: | 29 June 1937 |
| Fate: | Scuttled, 2 May 1942 |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Class and type: | Type 1934A-class destroyer |
| Displacement: | |
| Length: | |
| Beam: | 11.30 m (37 ft 1 in) |
| Draft: | 4.23 m (13 ft 11 in) |
| Installed power: |
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| 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: |
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| Service record | |
| Commanders: | Theodor Detmers |
Z7 Hermann Schoemann was a Type 1934A-class destroyer built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine in the mid-1930s. The ship was plagued by machinery problems for most of her life and was under repair when World War 2 began in September 1939. She covered her sister ships over the next few months as they laid offensive minefields in English waters in late 1939–early 1940. Hermann Schoemann played a minor role in the Norwegian Campaign as engine problems limited her availability throughout 1940 and for most of 1941.
She was transferred to France in early 1942 to escort two battleships and a heavy cruiser home to Germany through the English Channel in the Channel Dash. The ship was then transferred to Norway where she participated in Operation Sportpalast (Sports Palace), an unsuccessful attempt to intercept Convoy QP 8 returning from Russia. Another unsuccessful intercept was made in early April before the Germans were successful with Convoy QP 11 at the end of the month. The convoy's escorts conducted a skillful defense and prevented Hermann Schoemann and the other two destroyers from sinking more than a single Soviet freighter. The German commander broke off the action in the hopes of locating the crippled light cruiser HMS Edinburgh. They found the cruiser and her escorting destroyers on 2 May; Edinburgh disabled Hermann Schoemann before she could fire any torpedoes and her captain was forced to scuttle her shortly afterwards. The destroyer had 8 men killed and 45 wounded in the engagement.
Hermann Schoemann had an overall length of 119 meters (390 ft 5 in) and was 114 meters (374 ft 0 in) long at the waterline. The ship had a beam of 11.30 meters (37 ft 1 in), and a maximum draft of 4.23 meters (13 ft 11 in). She displaced 2,171 long tons (2,206 t) at standard load and 3,110 long tons (3,160 t) at deep load. The two Wagner geared steam turbine sets, each driving one propeller shaft, were designed to produce 70,000 PS (51,000 kW; 69,000 shp) using steam provided by six high-pressure Wagner boilers. The ship had a designed speed of 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph) and she reached a maximum speed of 36.8 knots from 66,000 shp (49,000 kW) while testing various propellers.Hermann Schoemann carried a maximum of 752 metric tons (740 long tons) of fuel oil which was intended to give a range of 4,400 nautical miles (8,100 km; 5,100 mi) at a speed of 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph), but the ship proved top-heavy in service and 30% of the fuel had to be retained as ballast low in the ship. The effective range proved to be only 1,530 nmi (2,830 km; 1,760 mi) at 19 knots. The crew numbered 10 officers and 315 enlisted men, plus an additional four officers and 19 enlisted men if serving as a flotilla flagship.
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