ZAMBESI or Z-Class Fleet Destroyer ordered from Cammell Laird of Birkenhead on 12th
February 1942 with the 10th Emergency Flotilla and
laid down on 21st December 1942 as Yard No 1117. She was launched on 21st November 1943
as the first RN warship to bear this name. Following a successful WARSHIP
WEEK National Savings
campaign in 1942 she had been adopted by the Municipal Borough of Bromley,
Kent. Build was completed
on 18th July 1944.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
NORWAY 1944 - ARCTIC 1945
H e r a l d i
c D a t a
Badge: On a Field Barry wavy, a crocodile.
D e t a i
l s o f W a r
S e r v i c e
(for more ship information,
go
to
Naval History Homepage
and type name in Site Search)
1 9 4 4
July
Contractor's sea trials and commissioned for service in 2nd Destroyer
Flotilla, Home Fleet
18th Build completion and
commenced Acceptance Trials.
On completion of
trials and storing took passage to Scapa Flow.
August Worked-up at Scapa Flow with ships of
Home Fleet.
Deployed as part of screen for HM Battleship DUKE OF YORK, HM Aircraft
Carriers
INDEFATIGABLE, FORMIDABLE and FURIOUS with HM Destroyers MYNGS,
VIGILANT, SIOUX (RCN),
ALGONQUIN (RCN), KEMPENFELT and Norwegian STORD
during series of air strikes on the German battleship TIRPITZ in Kaafjord.
(For details see CONVOY! by P Kemp).
September
Home Fleet screening and patrol duties in NW Approaches in continuation.
October
23rd Deployed as part of
screen for HM Aircraft Carrier IMPLACABLE, HM Cruiser BELLONA
with HM Destroyers VENUS, SCOURGE, SAVAGE, VERULAM, CAPRICE, CASSANDRA
and CAMBRIAN during air operations against targets in Sorreisa and Bardufossas well as
photo- reconnaissance on German battleship TIRPITZ anchored near Tromso.
(See CONVOY! by P
Kemp).
24th Deployed with HM
Destroyers SAUMAREZ, SERAPIS, SCORPION, SAVAGE and ZEPHYR
as screen for HM Cruiser DEVONSHIRE, HM Escort Carriers TRUMPETER and
CAMPANIA
in Force 2 during air
attacks and air minelay south of Lepsoy and in Harhamsund.
(Operation HARDY).
(For details of all minelaying operations see the Naval Staff History
(MINING)).
November
12th Deployed as screen
for HM Cruisers KENT and BELLONA with HM
Destroyers MYNGS,
VERULAM and ALGONQUIN (RCN) during attack on German Convoy KS357 off
Norway.
Two freighters and five of the six escorting warships are sunk. (See
above reference).
December
7th Part of screen for HMS
IMPLACABLE, HM Aircraft Carriers TRUMPETER and PREMIER
with HM Destroyers SAVAGE, VIGILANT, ZEALOUS, SERAPIS, SIOUX, ALGONQUIN
(RCN) and Norwegian STORD during shipping air strikes and air minelay in
Kara Sound.
(Operation URBANE - For details see The Naval Staff History (MINING)).
1 9 4 5
January
1st Joined Russian Convoy
JW63 as screen for Ocean Escort, HM Cruiser DIADEM, HM Escort
Aircraft Carrier VINDEX with HM Destroyers MYNGS, SAVAGE, SCOURGE,
SERAPIS,
ZEBRA, Canadian destroyers ALGONQUIN, SIOUX and Norwegian STORD.
8th Detached on arrival at Kola Inlet
after uninterrupted passage.
11th Joined return Convoy
RA63 as screen for Ocean Escort with same ships and also HM
Destroyer SCORPION.
21st Detached on arrival of convoy at Loch
Ewe after stormy passage during which convoy
had to be re-assembled.
(For details of all
Russian convoy operations including names of major warships involved
see CONVOYS TO
RUSSIA by RA Ruegg, THE RUSSIAN CONVOYS by B. Schoefield,
ARCTIC CONVOYS by R Woodman and CONVOY ! by P Kemp).
February
8th Part of screen for HM
Cruiser BELLONA, HM Escort Carriers CAMPANIA and NAIRANA
with HM Destroyers ONSLAUGHT, OPPORTUNE, ONSLOW,
ORWELL, SERAPIS,
ZEALOUS, ZEST, SIOUX, HM
Sloop LAPWING, HM Corvette DENBIGH Castle and HM
Trawler OKSOY as Close Escort for Russian
Convoy JW64.
14th Detached with HMCS SIOUX, HMS ZEALOUS and HMS ZEST to evacuate population
of the
island of Soroy off North Norway which was
under German attack.
Took passengers to Murmansk for later
transport to UK.
17th Joined screen for
same ships for Close Escort of return Convoy RA64.
27th Detached with Home
Fleet snips after stormy passage during which many escorts were
damaged and convoy had to be reformed after scattering.
March
12th Part of screen for HM Cruiser DIADEM
and HMS CAMPANIA with HM Destroyers
SCORPION, ORWELL, OPPORTUNE, ONSLAUGHT and SIOUX as Close Escort for
Russian Convoy JW65.
20th Under submarine
attacks during which HMS LAPWING was sunk by a Homing Torpedo.
23rd Joined screen for
Close Escort of return Convoy RA65 including H M Escort Carrier
TRUMPETER, HM
Destroyers MYNGS, SAVAGE, SCOURGE, Norwegian STORD and
same ships as for
inward JW65 to Kola Inlet.
30th Detached from RA65
with Home Fleet ships before arrival at Scapa Flow
and after an
uninterrupted
passage.
April
Home Fleet deployment in continuation.
May
4th Part of screen for
HM Escort Carriers SEARCHER, QUEEN and TRUMPETER, HM Cruisers
NORFOLK and
DIADEM with HM Destroyers CARYSFORT, OPPORTUNE,
SAVAGE,
SCORPION, ORWELL
and OBEDIENT during air attacks on shipping west of Narvik.
(Note: German
Depot Ship BLACK WATCH and U711 were sunk).
(Operation
JUDGEMENT - See ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C. Barnett.).
8th Deployed with Home
Fleet in support of re-occupation.
June
Home Fleet deployment in continuation.
to
August
P o s t W a r
N o t e s
HMS ZAMBESI
joined 4th Destroyer Flotilla Home Fleet after VJ Day
and was reduced to Reserve status in 1946 at Devonport. She refitted at
Gibraltar in 1948 before being re-commissioned for service at Rothesay as a target ship for training submarine crews of
3rd Submarine Flotilla. Before being again put in Reserve at Cardiff, the ship
refitted at Penarth in 1959. The ship was then placed on the Disposal List for demolition by T W Ward at Penarth
and arrived in tow at the breakers’ yard on 12 February 1959.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS
of
HMS
ZAMBESI
by Don Kindell
These convoy lists have not been cross-checked
with the text above
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Date convoy sailed
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Joined convoy as escort
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Convoy No.
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Left convoy
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Date convoy arrived
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11/09/44
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11/09/44
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TA 146
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12/09/44
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17/09/44
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07/09/44
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12/09/44
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AT 148A
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14/09/44
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14/09/44
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10/12/44
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15/12/44
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AT 173
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16/12/44
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16/12/44
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18/12/44
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18/12/44
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TA 172
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19/12/44
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25/12/44
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21/12/44
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21/12/44
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TA 173
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22/12/44
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27/12/44
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30/12/44
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01/01/45
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JW 063
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08/01/45
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08/01/45
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11/01/45
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11/01/45
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RA 063
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18/01/45
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21/01/45
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03/02/45
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06/02/45
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JW 064
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13/02/45
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15/02/45
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17/02/45
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17/02/45
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RA 064
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27/02/45
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28/02/45
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11/03/45
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14/03/45
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JW 065
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21/03/45
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21/03/45
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23/03/45
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23/03/45
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RA 065
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30/03/45
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01/04/45
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(Note on Convoys)
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