Dear Andreas, im not sure at how to answer #1 and #3 questions without sounding snide and rude, but I will try for #2.

#2) What is it doing there? Any number of possibilities. It could have been part of a convoy of some type as anti sub protection.. it could have been the escourt to a ship like The Wilhelm Gustloff--even though that would be farther out than would be believable for the Gustloff to have been sailing. The Zerstorer could have been on a rendezvoux of somekind...maybe with a wolfpack? there were still wolfpacks at that stage of the war. It could have been somekind of a picket ship on patrol.... or, it could have been on its way home from some other place? or it could have been there by chance??

I agree that there might have been no reason for the Zerstorer to be out there, but then again, just how FAR was "out there?". I strongly disagree with what was said that Zerstorers were only operating in coastal operations--that is not true.

They had escourt duties, resupply missions--etc. Yes it would be unlikely thet would have gone undetected from allied aircover, but its possible..

Contrary to possible popular belief--not all German surface warships were sunk in ww2. I dont know how many survived, but some did and were given to other countries like possibly Norway, or Finland or some other country even France maybe???

Just my 5 pfennigs worth...

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.