German destroyer Z43

Z43 was a Type 1936B destroyer of the German Kriegsmarine. She was laid down on 1 May 1942 at Deschimag in Bremen, launched on 22 September 1943 and commissioned on 24 March 1944. Her service was with the 6th Destroyer Flotilla in the Baltic Sea under the command of Kapitän zur See Wenniger and later Fregattenkapitän Lampe. She mainly escorted ships, including the "pocket battleship" GERMAN CRUISER Admiral Scheer, and participated in a minelaying operation in December of 1944, where her sisters GERMAN DESTROYER Z35 and GERMAN DESTROYER Z36 were sunk. She was badly damaged by a mine on 10 April 1945, and scuttled on 3 May of that same year.

Design
Z43 was a Type 1936B-class destroyer, which meant that the twin 15.9 cm turrets positioned on the bow and stern of the ship were removed. This was because the older Type 1936A class of destroyers were deemed less stable. The twin turrets, which were planned to have been used on the s but diverted due to time constraints were removed and replaced with five single 12.7 cm turrets, along with more anti-aircraft defences. Besides that, the ship retained the main characteristics of the 1936A class. They displaced 2527 t, and were manned by 321 sailors and officers. Although they had a maximum speed of 38 kn, their range was 6200 m at 19 kn. Her main armament of five 12.7 cm SK C/34 naval guns could be depressed to −10° and raised to 30°. They had an arc of fire of 360°, meaning that they could rotate a full circle, able to fire at any given point. The guns fired 28 kg high-explosive shells at a muzzle velocity of 830 m/s to a range of 17400 m. The destroyer also carried four 3.7 cm anti-aircraft guns and six 2 cm anti-aircraft guns in pairs. She had eight 53.3 cm torpedo tubes and, when fitted as a minelayer, could carry 76 mines.