German destroyer Z19 Hermann Künne

	Sister ship Z21 Wilhelm Heidkamp underway, about 1939
History
Nazi Germany
Name	Hermann Künne
Namesake	Hermann Künne
Ordered	6 January 1936
Builder	AG Weser (Deschimag), Bremen
Yard number	W921
Laid down	5 October 1936
Launched	22 December 1937
Commissioned	12 January 1939
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	125.1 m (410 ft 5 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;

Z19 Hermann Künne was one of six Type 1936 destroyers built for the Kriegsmarine (German Navy) in the late 1930s. Completed at the beginning of 1939, the ship spent most of her time training although she did participate in the occupation of Memel a few months later. At the beginning of World War II in September, 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 laid four offensive minefields off the English coast that claimed two British destroyers and thirty-eight merchant ships.

During the German invasion of Norway in April 1940, she was tasked to attack Narvik and participated in both the First and Second Naval Battles of Narvik. Z19 Hermann Künne was disabled during the first battle, but was repaired in time to fight in the second battle until she had exhausted her ammunition. Afterwards the ship had to be scuttled to prevent her capture.

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