Z39

Z39 operated off Jutland for a short time before being transferred to the Baltic Sea at the beginning of 1944. Soviet bombers damaged the destroyer on 23 June 1944, and she was sent to Kiel for repairs, where she suffered another bomb hit. Z39 did not return to operational service until 16 February 1945 and saw little further use before being decommissioned on 10 May. The British took control of the ship and transferred her to the United States on 11 July 1945. Renamed DD-939, she was used for trials until 1947 and then handed over to France. Her poor condition prevented further active service, and she instead served as a source of spare parts for other former German destroyers in the French Navy. Z39 was scrapped in February 1964.