 Sister ship Z29, 1945
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Name | Z27 |
| Ordered | 23 April 1938 |
| Builder | AG Weser (Deschimag), Bremen |
| Yard number | W961 |
| Laid down | 27 December 1939 |
| Launched | 1 August 1940 |
| Commissioned | 26 February 1941 |
| Fate | Sunk, 28 December 1943 |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Class and type | Type 1936A destroyer |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 127 m (416 ft 8 in) (o/a) |
| Beam | 12 m (39 ft 4 in) |
| Draft | 4.43 m (14 ft 6 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 2 × shafts; 2 × geared steam turbine sets |
| Speed | 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph) |
| Range | 2,500 nmi (4,600 km; 2,900 mi) at 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) |
| Complement | 332 |
| Armament |
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| Service record | |
| Commanders: | Karl Smidt |
Z27 was one of fifteen Type 1936A destroyers built for the Kriegsmarine (German Navy) during World War II. Completed in 1941, the ship was transferred to Norwegian waters later that year where she remained for most of the next several years, escorting convoys and laying minefields. She sank a Soviet oil tanker in late 1942 before sailing to Germany for a refit. Upon its completion in mid-1943, Z27 returned to Norway and participated in Operation Zitronella, the raid on the island of Spitsbergen in September.
The ship sailed to France the following month and became the flagship of the 8. Zerstörerflottile (8th Destroyer Flotilla) upon her arrival. The flotilla was tasked to escort several blockade runners through the Bay of Biscay in December despite Allied efforts to find and sink them. The first ship made it through the gauntlet successfully, but the second one was found and sunk while the German ships were en route to the rendezvous point. They were intercepted by a pair of British light cruisers and Z27 was sunk during the ensuing Battle of the Bay of Biscay on 28 December, with the loss of approximately 300 of her crew.