 Z23 aiva mumwe wevashanu Type 1936A vanoparadza yakavakwa nokuda Kriegsmarine German Navy muHondo Yenyika II. Yakapedzwa muna 1940, ngarava yacho yakapedza hondo iri mumvura dzeNorway neFrance, ichiperekedza ngarava dzeGermany uye dzimwe nguva ichibatanidza ngarava dzehondo dzeAllied. Mukutanga kwa1941 akafambisa ngarava pakati peBaltic neSouthern Norway asati apedza mwedzi mina achidzivirira ngarava dzaipfuura neGulf yeBiscay. Mwedzi mishomanene pashure pokunge Operation Barbarossa yatanga muna June, Z23 yakaendeswa kuchamhembe kweNorway uko yakaedza kudzivisa imwe yemotokari dzeArctickudzoka kubva kuSoviet Union uye akabatsira kuisa minda yeminzwa inoverengeka. 