Destoyer Z6 Theodor Riedel

History

22 Apr 36: Launched

02 Jul 37: Commissioned

03 Sep 39: With 2nd DD FLOT laying West Wall mine barrage in the NorthSea (Z6, Z7, Z8, Z1) 1st and 4th DD FLOTs and 5th DD DIV are involved,16xDD total.

04 Sep 39: With 2xML and 1xDD lays 666 mines.

05 Sep 39: With 2xML and 1xDD lays 666 mines.

13 Sep 39: With 4xML and 2xDD lays 960 mines.

15 Sep 39: With 4xML and 3xDD lays 555 mines.

07 Oct 39: Sorties with Gneisenau, Koln and 8xDD toward Norway’s southcoast as bait to lure the British Home Fleet across a submarine line andbring it into range of air attacks. (The mission succeeds in that theair attacks are made, but no damage is inflicted on the British.

10 Oct 39: Returns to Kiel.

17-19 Oct 39: Participates in an anti-mercantile patrol in the Skagerrakwith 2xDD and 3xTBs.

20 Oct 39: 2nd DD FLOT Z5, Z6 and Z7 arrives at Swinemunde forexercises.

12/13 Nov 39: Returns early with rest of 2nd DD FLOT (Z12, Z7) frommining operation into the Thames estuary due to machinery problems

09-10 Feb 40: With Z8 and Z7 forms escort for mining group of 6xDDlaying fields off the Shipwash, and Cromer Knoll, coast of England.

18-20 Feb 40: Escorts Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and Hipper into North Seawith 2xDD & 2xTB. Separates with the other DDs to conduct mercantilewarfare in the Skagerrak.

22-23 Feb 40: 1st DD FLOT (6xDD total FS Z16, Z4, Z6, Z3, Z1 and Z13)conducts Operation Wikinger – a strike against British fishing vesselsin the North Sea. While in the Heligoland Bight, the force is attackedin error by German aircraft and two destroyers are sunk. Z6 fallsvictim to a submarine scare and drops four depth charges. Her speed istoo low to put sufficient distance between her and the charges when theyexplode and she suffers considerable shock damage as a result,particularly to her electrically controlled rudder.

06 Apr 40: Departs Cuxhaven with Hipper, Z5, Z16, and Z8 as part ofGroup 2 assigned to the occupation of Trondheim.

07 Apr 40: Group 2 meets Group 1 (Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and 10xDD) andproceeds north in their company. An attack by 12 Blenheims is repelledwithout loss.

09 Apr 40: Z6 lands her embarked troops at Trondheim. She subsequentlyruns aground adding hull damage to the storm damage previously sufferedon the passage north. She is beached in Strommen Bay as a stationarybattery.

20 Apr 40: Refloated.

June 40: Returns to Germany.

Aug 40: Fitted with SGerat submarine detection gear.

09 Sep 40: Departs Wilhelshaven with Z20, Z16 and Z14.

11 Sep 40: Arrives Cherbourg.with her three companions after repellingan air attack

18 Sep 40: Attacked in port after midnight by RAF Blenheims andBeauforts, but undamaged.

19-20 Sep 40: With 4xDD attempts on offensive sweep to the area off thewestern entrance of the English Channel, but forced to return Brestbecause of heavy weather.

28/29 Sep 40: Offensive mining operation in Falmouth Bay. With Z16 actsas escort for the destroyers carrying mines, Z5, Z10, Z14, Z10 and Z15.

10 Oct40: Undergoes attack by RAF Swordfish at Brest. Slightly damagedby splinters.

17 Oct 40: Sorties from Brest with Z10, Z15, Z14 and Z20 on anoffensive sweep into the SW approaches of the English Channel. Developstube failures in #1 boiler room and returns to Brest.

05-08 Nov 40: Transferred from Brest to Wilhelmshaven (with 3xDD) andthen to Kiel. Assigned to dock for major refit.

June 41: In Baltic working up.

09 Aug 41: Sails from Kiel for the Arctic. In passage she runs agroundin the Scharen and is towed into Bergen. Returns to Germany and reenterdock.

May 42: Repairs completed. Begins working up in Baltic.

11 May 42: Sails from Kiel for Trondheim with Z20.

02 Jul 42: Sails with Tirpitz, Hipper, Z14, Z20, Z10, T7 and T15 fromTrondheim to rendezvous at Altenfjord with forces sailing from Narvik.The mission’s ultimate objective is to launch an attack on Britishconvoy PQ.17

03 Jul 42: Runs aground at Grimsoystraumen on uncharted, submergedrocks. Lutzow, Z20 and Z10 suffer the same fate. The German ships aremaking the dangerous passage through the fjords at night in an attemptto forestall British aerial reconnaissance. Z6’s damage is the mostminor of the four only affecting her propeller. She returns toTrondheim

25 Jul 42: Towed from Trondheim for Germany with Z10, also under tow.

28 Jul 42: Attacked by RAF Beauforts at 0127 hours and again at 0150south of Stavanger. She slips her tow and manages to avoid thetorpedoes, although her top speed is only 7 knots.

29 Jul 42: Makes Kiel and enters dock.

21 Nov 42: Repairs completed.

Dec 42: Escorts Lutzow from Germany to Kaafjord.

30 Dec 42: Sails from Kaafjord to attack a British convoy with Hipper,Lutzow and Z4, Z16, Z29, Z30 and Z31. The heavy units operateseparately; Z6 forms part of Lutzow’s screen with Z30 and Z31.

Dec 31 42: She engages the convoy between 1140 and 1215 hours; the rangeto the merchant ships is too great for Z6, but she does manage to hitone of the escorting destroyers with her second salvo at the very end ofthe battle.

Jan 43: Inactive at Kaafjord

05/06 Feb 43: Conducts mining operation off Kildin roads, a choke pointfor Murmansk bound shipping with the minelayer Brummer and Z31. She isattacked at least twice by the Soviet submarines L20 and K22, but avoidsall torpedoes fired.

10/11 Mar 43: Transferred from Kaafjord to Narvik with Lutzow and 1xDD.

22-24 Mar 43: Transfers from Narvik to Altafjord with Tirpitz, , Atthis time the far northern force based at Altafjord (Alten Fjord)consisted of Tirpitz, Scharnhorst, Lutzow, Z4, Z5, Z6, Z15, Z20, Z28and Z31. Z6 is the flag of DD FLOT 6.

31 Mar-02 Apr 43: Sorties from Altafjord with Z5 and Z20 to meet theblockade runner Regensburg. This mission is unsuccessful as Regensburghas already been sunk in the Denmark Strait. The destroyers return withheavy sea damage sustained in a violent storm.

06 Apr 43: While on passage from Narvik to Trondheim, Z6 losses allsteam in her boilers due to water polluted fuel. She nearly drifts untothe rocks before a tug arrives from Trondheim to rescue her.

06-08 Sep 43: Participates in attack on Spitzbergen with Tirpitz,Scharnhorst, 4th DD FLOT (Z29, Z33, Z31) 5th DD FLOT (Z15, Z27, Z30) and6th DD FLOT (Z6, Z10 Z20). Z6 carried approximately 100 men of the 349Grenadier Regiment. After landing her troops, Z6 screened Tirpitz andengaged in some unauthorized shore bombardment.

04-07 Dec 43: Participates in mining operations with 3xML and 2xDDdesigned to block the entrance to the Skagerrak.

13 Dec 43: Enters drydock at Kiel for refit.

Jun 44: Returns to service. Based at Horten in southern Norway.

03 Aug 44: Mining operation in the Skagerrak with 2xML and 2xDD.

04 Aug 44: Repeat of operation of previous night.

Aug 44: Suffers serious fire in boiler room caused by oil soaked rageleft in her bilges from prior refit. Must enter dock in Oslo forrepair.

19-20 Sep 44: Participates in laying of Klaudius minefield in theSkagerrak with Emden, 1xML and 3xDD.

01-02 Oct 44: Participates in laying of Kaligula minefield in theSkagerrak with Emden, 1xML and 3xDD.

Nov 44: Runs aground again.

Dec 44: At Horten with Z14, Z4 and Z20. Under repair due to damagesuffered from previous grounding.

07 Jan 45: Operational.

13/14 Jan 45: Participates in laying of Titus minefield in the North Seawith Nurnberg, 1xML Z14, T19 and T20. Attacked unsuccessfully severaltimes by RAF.

1945: By this time Z6’s AA has been supplemented to 14x20mm.

03 May 45: Suppports last evacuations from Hela. Beats off Soviet MTBattack.

06 May 45: Disembarks refugees in Copenhagen.

07 May 45: Returns to Hela with 7xDD and 5xTB.

Stats