Z-35C Barbarossa Class Destroyer

Manufactured to patrol the troubled waters around Britain and Ireland, the Z-35C Class is a heavily armed beast that serves primarily as a destroyer killer. Six deck guns give this ship withering firepower, and it carries a third again the armor protection of other ships in its class. Given surprising speed from its MAN M9 Zu 42/58 diesel drive motors, the tough and durable Z-35C embodies the German philosophy of extra compartmentalization that enables Imperial vessels to weather the fiercest of engagements. The first Z-35C ships came out of the Kaiserliche Werft yards in Kiel, but the Empire plans to shift production to Liverpool and Wallside on the Tyne.

Performance Vs. Other Destroyers
The Z-35C Barbarossa Class Destroyer is the slowest of the three destroyers of Enigma: Rising Tide, and also is the 2nd most heavily armed destroyer for ship on ship combat. With a speed of 30.5 knots, it is slower than both the Alliance Class Destroyer, and the Fletcher Class Destroyer. Armed with with six 5" guns, it is on par with the Alliance Class Destroyer with firepower and has an extra gun to spare versus the Fletcher Class. However, due to the design of the Z-35C, only 4 Deck guns at most can be fired at a single ship from any angle. So technically the Alliance Class has 2 guns to spare versus the Z-35C, giving it the firepower of a Fletcher Class Destroyer. Also, the Z-35C only carries 1 Quad Torpedo Tubes, compared to the Alliance Class Destroyer's and Fletcher Class Destroyer's 2 Quad Torpedo Tubes. Therefore, in a 1v1 against the Alliance or the Fletcher, the Z-35C would have be defeated in terms of both speed and firepower, making the Z-35C an undesirable ship.

Or so you might think. The Z-35C has a reason for being so large, slow, and heavy. There is also a reason for having 4 weapons housed on the sides, instead of housing them in turrets. The Z-35C's main purpose is to attack large groups of ships, and the large, heavy hull gives it one of it's most powerful weapons, which is hull. It has the highest armor rating of any destroyer, and one attacking even a large fleet of vessels can do the job of 2 or more Alliance Class Destroyers, depending on the Captain's skill. Head to head with an Alliance Class Destroyer, or a Fletcher Class Destroyer, it's high pivot and turning speed can allow it to fire all 6 guns, and it's hull allows it to take damage that would destroy it's counterparts, and have the ability to keep fighting. Thus, 2 or more Z-35C's with good Captains would be more than enough to at least cause considerable damage to an enemy task force.