page_title: German destroyer Z18 Hans Lüdemann
hierarchical_section_title: German destroyer Z18 Hans Lüdemann
caption_attribution_description: English: Z21 Wilhelm Heidkamp at sea
context_page_description: Z18 Hans Lüdemann was one of six Type 1936 destroyers built for the Kriegsmarine 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 laid 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.
context_section_description: 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 laid 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.
caption: Sister ship Z21 Wilhelm Heidkamp underway, about 1939
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