The Type 1934 ships were followed by an improved Type 1936. The 1936A modification featured an Atlantic-style fore stem and 150 mm guns. The lead ship of this type, Z-23, entered service in 1940. The destroyer escorted convoys in the Norwegian waters and later in the Bay of Biscay. In 1941, Z-23 returned to Norway, where she hunted down Arctic convoys and laid minefields. In 1943, she was transferred to France again. During the Battle of the Bay of Biscay, Z-23 was damaged by British bombers and declared a write-off.