The ships were US Charles F. Adams-class guided missile destroyers but with some modifications to meet German requirements.

[1] For German use, they received the following modifications: In turn, the new antennas and radar location meant that the funnels had to be modified.

On the Lütjens the exhaust gases were emitted sideways with two pipes on the port and starboard side of each funnel.

Fire control was improved with upgraded computers and a new AN/SPG-60 radar which also provided illumination for the missiles.

They were named after famous German officers who died in World War II: Günther Lütjens who had commanded the Bismarck task group, the fighter ace Werner Mölders of the Luftwaffe, and Field Marshal Erwin Rommel.