Type 1936A destroyer

The Type 1936A destroyers, also called the Z23 class and known to the Allies as the Narvik class, were fifteen destroyers built for the German Kriegsmarine from 1938 to 1943. Their main armament of 15 centimetre guns made them closer to light cruisers than to a typical destroyer of the time, but the twin turret meant for the forward position was late, so most ships were completed with four single guns, and the engines and the heavy bow gave trouble in rough seas. The first eight, Z23 to Z30, and the slightly larger Mob variant up to Z36 were built at Bremen by AG Weser of the Deschimag combine, while Z37 to Z39 came from Germaniawerft at Kiel. Like all later German destroyers they carried only hull numbers, not names.