HMS Zambesi (R66)

HMS Zambesi was a Z-class destroyer. She has been the only Royal Navy warship to bear that name. She was launched on 21 December 1942 at the Cammell Laird shipyard at Birkenhead and commissioned on 18 July 1944. She was 'adopted' by the civil community of Bromley, as part of Warship Week in 1942.

HMS Zambesi under tow on the River Mersey, 19 July 1944
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Zambesi
Namesake	Zambesi
Ordered	12 February 1942
Builder	Cammell Laird, Birkenhead
Laid down	21 December 1942
Launched	21 November 1943
Commissioned	18 July 1944
Identification	Pennant number: R66 later changed to D66
Honours & awards	-Norway 1944 - Arctic 1945
Fate	Arrived John Cashmore Ltd, Newport for breaking up 12 February 1959
Badge	On a Field Barry wavy, a crocodile
General characteristics
Class & type	Z-class destroyer
Displacement	1,710 tons
Length	362 ft 9 in (110.57 m)
Beam	35 ft 8 in (10.87 m)
Draught	10 ft (3.0 m)
Propulsion	Twin steam turbines
Speed	37 knots (69 km/h) maximum
Complement	185
Armament	4 × QF 4.5 in (114 mm) guns 5 × 40 mm guns 8 × 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes

Second World War

After a period of working up with ships of the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow she joined the 2nd Destroyer Flotilla, Home Fleet for screening duty and patrol on the North Western Approaches, including operations against the Tirpitz. She escorted a number of Arctic convoys, and other operations in the North Sea and off the coast of Scandinavia. As the war reached its end Zambesi was deployed with the Home Fleet to support operations to re-occupy countries previously under German occupation, and this included guardship duties.

Postwar

After the end of the war Zambesi joined the 4th Destroyer Flotilla in which she served until 1947 when she was paid-off and was reduced to reserve status in the Plymouth Reserve Fleet. She remained in reserve until 1950, though received a refit at Gibraltar in 1948. In 1951 she was a target ship for the 3rd Submarine Flotilla, based at Rothesay. Between 1953 and 1954 she was given a refit at Penarth, before being held at reserve at Cardiff until 1959.^[1]

Decommissioning and disposal

In 1959 Zambesi was placed on the Sale List and she was sold to Thos. W. Ward for breaking-up. On 12 February 1959 she arrived in tow at their yard at Briton Ferry, Wales.

Zambesi's bell was presented to St Cuthbert's Church in Portsmouth in 1959, where it still survives.^[2]