This ship was one of the Zerstörer 1936A (Mob) class, also known to the Allies as the Narvik-class destroyer. Instead of being named, these ships built after the commencement of WWII were known by their hull numbers Z23 to Z39. Thanks to their impressive 15cm guns, these ships were close to being light cruisers rather than destroyers. Z31 was laid down on 1 September 1940 and was commissioned on 11 April 1942. This ship was notable in that it initially featured a single forward-mounted gun, before being retrofitted with a twin turret in late 1942. Interestingly, this warship survived WWII and was taken by France as war booty in December 1945. It subsequently served in the French Navy as Marceau (Q 103) before being scrapped in 1958.