German destroyer Z18 Hans Lüdemann

	Z18 Hans Lüdemann in 1939
History
Nazi Germany
Name	Z18 Hans Lüdemann
Namesake	Hans Lüdemann
Ordered	6 January 1936
Builder	AG Weser (Deschimag), Bremen
Yard number	W920
Laid down	9 September 1936
Launched	1 December 1937
Completed	8 October 1938
Fate	Scuttled, 13 April 1940
General characteristics
Class and type	Type 1936 destroyer
Displacement	2,411 long tons (2,450 t) (standard); 3,415 long tons (3,470 t) (deep load);
Length	123.4 m (404 ft 10 in) (o/a)
Beam	11.8 m (38 ft 9 in)
Draft	4.5 m (14 ft 9 in)
Installed power	70,000 PS (51,000 kW; 69,000 shp); 6 × water-tube boilers;
Propulsion	2 × shafts; 2 × geared steam turbine sets;
Speed	36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph)
Range	2,050 nmi (3,800 km; 2,360 mi) at 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph)
Complement	323
Armament	5 × single 12.7 cm (5 in) guns; 2 × twin 3.7 cm (1.5 in) AA guns; 6 × single 2 cm (0.79 in) AA guns; 2 × quadruple 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes; 4 × depth charge throwers; 60 mines;

Z18 Hans Lüdemann was one of six Type 1936 destroyers built for the Kriegsmarine (German Navy) in the late 1930s. Completed in 1938, the ship spent most of her time training. At the beginning of World War II in September 1939, she was initially deployed to lay minefields off the German coast, but was soon transferred to the Skagerrak where she inspected neutral shipping for contraband goods. In late 1939, Z18 Hans Lüdemann helped to lay two offensive minefields off the English coast that claimed one destroyer and twenty merchant ships.

During the German invasion of Norway in April 1940, Z17 Diether von Roeder was tasked to attack Narvik and participated in both the First and Second Naval Battles of Narvik. She was damaged by British destroyers during the first battle and was one of the last surviving German destroyers during the second battle. After the British knocked out all of her guns, the ship was run ashore to allow the crew to abandon ship. They attempted to scuttle Z18 Hans Lüdemann with explosives to prevent her capture, but something went wrong and the British were able to board her. A British destroyer torpedoed her wreck to prevent any repairs.

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