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HMS Zebra on 12 October 1944
Class overview
Name	W and Z class
Operators	Royal Navy  South African Navy  Yugoslav Navy  Egyptian Navy  Israeli Navy
Preceded by	U and V class
Succeeded by	C class
Subclasses	W, Z
In commission	1943 - 1971
Completed	16
Lost	4 (2 as targets)
Retired	12
General characteristics (W class)
Type	Destroyer
Displacement	1,710 tons (1,730 tonnes) 2,530 tons full (2,570 tonnes)
Length	362.75 ft (110.57 m) o/a
Beam	35.75 ft (10.90 m)
Draught	10 ft (3.0 m)
Propulsion	2 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, Parsons single-reduction geared steam turbines, 40,000 shp (30 MW), 2 shafts
Speed	36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph) / 32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph) full
Range	4,675 nautical miles (8,658 km; 5,380 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement	179 (225 as leader)
Sensors and processing systems	Radar Type 272 target indication Type 291 radar air warning Type 285 radar fire control on director Mk.III(W) Type 282 radar fire control on 40 mm mount Mk.IV
Armament	4 × QF 4.7 inch (120-mm) L/45 Mk.IX guns, single mounts CP Mk.XXII 4 × QF 2-pounder (40-mm) Mk.VIII "pom-poms", quad mount Mk.VII, or; 2 × QF 40 mm Bofors, twin mount "Hazemeyer" Mk.IV 4 × A/A mountings; twin 20 mm Oerlikon Mk.V single Bofors 40 mm Mk.III or "Boffin" Mk.V single QF 2-pounder Mk.XVI 8 (2x4) tubes for 21-inch (530 mm) torpedoes Mk.IX 2 racks & 4 throwers for 70 depth charges
General characteristics (Z class)
Displacement	1,830 tons (1,860 tonnes) 2,530 tons full (2,570 tonnes)
Sensors and processing systems	Type 293 radar target indication Type 285 fire-control radar on director type K
Armament	4 x QF 4.5 in (113 mm) Mk.IV guns, single mounts CP Mk.V
Notes	Other characteristics as per W class

The W and Z class was a class of sixteen destroyers of the Royal Navy launched in 1943–1944. They were constructed as two flotillas, with names beginning with "W-" and "Z-", respectively, although, like the preceding U and V class, two of the flotilla leaders were named after historical naval figures (as had been Royal Navy practice during the inter-war years). They were known as the 9th and 10th Emergency Flotilla, respectively and served as fleet and convoy escorts in World War II. None were lost during World War II but INS Eilat (originally HMS Zealous) was sunk during the Israel-Egypt conflict in October 1967 by Egyptian missile boats and the El Qaher (originally HMS Myngs) of the Egyptian Navy was sunk at Berenice, Egypt on 16 May 1970 by Israeli Air Force aircraft during the War of Attrition.

Design

Repeats of the preceding U and V-class destroyers, with modified director structures. The Z class were armed with 4.5 inch guns.

Ships

W class

Z class

See also

• The V and W-class destroyers: World War I destroyer class.
• Type 15 frigate: postwar full conversion of Wartime Emergency Programme destroyers into first-rate fast anti-submarine frigates

References

Notes

1. March, p.419.
2. Mason, Geoffrey B. (2002). Gordon Smith (ed.). "HMS Kempenfelt (ii) (R 03) - W-class Flotilla Leader". naval-history.net. Archived from the original on 30 April 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
3. Mason, Geoffrey B. (2002). Gordon Smith (ed.). "HMS Wessex (ii) (R 78) - W-class Destroyer". naval-history.net. Archived from the original on 23 June 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
4. Mason, Geoffrey B. (2006). Gordon Smith (ed.). "HMS Myngs (R 06) - Z-class Flotilla Leader". naval-history.net. Archived from the original on 15 January 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
5. Mason, Geoffrey B. (2004). Gordon Smith (ed.). "HMS Zenith (R 95) - Z-class Destroyer". naval-history.net. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
6. Mason, Geoffrey B. (2004). Gordon Smith (ed.). "HMS Zest (R 02) - Z-class Destroyer". naval-history.net. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
7. Mason, Geoffrey B. (2004). Gordon Smith (ed.). "HMS Zodiac (R 52) - Z-class Destroyer". naval-history.net. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2015.

Bibliography

• Cocker, Maurice (1981). Destroyers of the Royal Navy, 1893-1981. Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-1075-7.
• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) . Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
• Robert Gardiner, ed. (1984). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-913-8.
• March, Edgar (1966). British destroyers: A history of development 1892-1953. London: Billing and Sons Ltd.
• Marriott, Leo (1994). Royal Navy Destroyers since 1945. Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-1817-0.
• Raven, Alan; Roberts, John (1978). War Built Destroyers O to Z Classes. London: Bivouac Books. ISBN 0-85680-010-4.
• Whitley, M. J. (1988). Destroyers of World War 2. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-326-1.

External links

v t e W- and Z-class destroyers
W class	Valentine / Kempenfelt Wager Whelp Whirlwind Wizard Wrangler Zebra (R59) / Wakeful (R59) Zenith (R78) / Wessex (R78)
Z class	Myngs Wakeful (R81) / Zebra (R81) Wessex (R95) / Zenith (R95) Zambesi Zealous Zephyr Zest Zodiac
Other operators  Egyptian Navy El Fateh (ex-Zenith (R95)) El Qaher (ex-Myngs)  Israeli Navy Eilat (ex-Zealous) Yaffo (ex-Zodiac)  South African Navy Jan van Riebeeck (ex-Wessex (R78)) Simon van der Stel (ex-Whelp) Vrystaat (ex-Wrangler)  Yugoslav Navy Kotor (ex-Kempenfelt) Pula (ex-Wager)
Preceded by: V class Followed by: C class
List of destroyers of the Royal Navy

v t e War Emergency Programme destroyers of the Royal Navy
O class P class Q class R class S class T class U class V class W class Z class C classes
List of destroyers of the Royal Navy

• Destroyer classes
• Ship classes of the Royal Navy
• W and Z-class destroyers