Allied Warships

HMS Zest (R 02)

Destroyer of the Z class

Navy	The Royal Navy
Type	Destroyer
Class	Z
Pennant	R 02
Built by	Thornycroft (Southampton, U.K.)
Ordered	12 Feb 1942
Laid down	21 Jul 1942
Launched	14 Oct 1943
Commissioned	20 Jul 1944
End service
History	Reconstructed as Type 15 frigate during 1954-1956. Scrapped at Dalmuir in August 1970.

Commands listed for HMS Zest (R 02)

Please note that we're still working on this section.

	Commander	From	To
1	Lt.Cdr. Roger Bertram Nettleton Hicks, DSO, RN	6 Jun 1944	23 Oct 1945

You can help improve our commands section
Click here to Submit events/comments/updates for this vessel.
Please use this if you spot mistakes or want to improve this ships page.

Notable events involving Zest include:

18 Dec 1944
HMS Trusty (Lt. J.P. Fyfe, DSC, RN) conducts A/S exercises with HMS Zest (Lt.Cdr. R.B.N. Hicks, DSO, RN). (1)

17 Feb 1945
HMS Zest (Lt.Cdr. R.B.N. Hicks, DSO, RN) picks up the sole survivor from the British corvette HMS Bluebell that was torpedoed and sunk that day by German U-boat U-711 off Kola Inlet in position 69°36'N, 35°29'E.

6 Apr 1945

Operation Newmarket.

Air attacks on German submarine tenders at Kilbotn, Norway.

The escort carriers HMS Searcher (Capt. J.W. Grant, DSO, RN, flying the flag of Rear-Admiral R.R. McGrigor, CB, DSO, RN), HMS Puncher (Capt. R.E.S. Bidwell, RCN), HMS Queen (A/Capt. K.J. D'Arcy, DSO, RN), HMS Trumpeter (A/Capt. K.S. Colquhoun, RN), light cruisers HMS Birmingham (Capt. H.W. Williams, RN), HMS Bellona (Capt. G.S. Tuck, DSO, RN) and the destroyers HMS Onslow (Capt. H.W.S. Browning, OBE, RN), HMS Offa (Lt.Cdr. E.M. Thorpe, DSO, RN), HMS Scorpion (Cdr. C.W. McMullen, DSC, RN), HMS Scourge (Lt.Cdr. C.G.H. Brown, DSC, RN), HMS Zambesi (Lt.Cdr. J.M. Palmer, RN), HMS Zealous (Cdr. R.F. Jessel, DSO, DSC and Bar, RN), HMS Zest (Lt.Cdr. R.B.N. Hicks, DSO, RN) and HMS Carysfort (Lt.Cdr. L.St.G. Rich, DSO and Bar, RN) departed Scapa Flow on 6 April 1945 to conduct air strikes against German submarine tenders off Kilbotn, Norway.

The operation however had to be cancelled due to the weather conditions rendering flying impossible. The ships remained in the area for about three days but weather did not improve.

The ships returned to Scapa Flow on 12 April 1945. (2)

6 May 1945

Operation Cleaver.

Entry of a naval surface force into the Skagerrak and Kattegat.

The following forces took part in this operation;
' Force 5 ' which was made up of the light cruisers HMS Birmingham (Capt. H.W. Williams, RN), HMS Dido (Capt. R.F. Elkins, OBE, RN) and the destroyers HMS Zephyr (Capt. J.H. Allison, DSO and Bar, RN), HMS Zealous (Cdr. R.F. Jessel, DSO, DSC and Bar, RN), HMS Zest (Lt.Cdr. R.B.N. Hicks, DSO, RN) and HMS Zodiac (Lt.Cdr. H.R. Rycroft, DSC, RN).
This force departed Rosyth in the evening of the 6th.

' Force 6 ' which was made up of the heavy cruiser HMS Norfolk (Capt. J.G.Y. Loveband, RN, flying the flag of Rear-Admiral R.R. McGrigor, CB, DSO, RN), escort carriers HMS Queen (A/Capt. K.J. D'Arcy, DSO, RN), HMS Searcher (Capt. J.W. Grant, DSO, RN), HMS Trumpeter (A/Capt. K.S. Colquhoun, RN) and the destroyers HMS Scourge (Lt.Cdr. C.G.H. Brown, DSC, RN, with Capt. P.G.L. Cazalet, DSC, RN on board), HMS Savage (Lt.Cdr. C.W. Malins, DSO, DSC and Bar, RN), HMS Obedient (Lt.Cdr. H. Kirkwood, DSC and Bar, RN), HMS Offa (Lt.Cdr. E.M. Thorpe, DSO, RN), HMS Opportune (Cdr. R.E.D. Ryder, VC, RN), HMS Zambesi (Lt.Cdr. J.M. Palmer, RN) and HMS Carysfort (Lt.Cdr. L.St.G. Rich, DSO and Bar, RN). This force departed Scapa flow on the 6th.

And the 40th Minesweeping Flotilla made up of HMS Catharine (Cdr. Kenneth Hillam Fraser, RN), 6541 HMS Cynthia (T/A/Lt.Cdr. C.L. Chatwin, RNVR), HMS Elfreda (T/A/Lt.Cdr. L. Jolly, RNVR), HMS Grecian (T/A/Cdr. C.R. Fraser, DSC and Bar, RNR) and HMS Gazelle (Lt.Cdr. J.D. Sutcliffe, RN), HMS Maenad (Cdr. C.E. Duggan, RD, RNR), HMS Steadfast (T/A/Lt. A.H. Hall, RNVR) and HMS Tattoo (Lt.Cdr.(Retd.) F.G. Rogers, RD, RNR). They departed Rosyth of the 6th.

Force 5 and the 40th M/S Flotilla arrived at Copenhagen, Denmark on 9 May. The 40th M/S Flotilla swept Force 5 through the minefields.

Force 6 returned to Scapa Flow on 10 May. (2)

20 May 1945
HMS Birmingham (Capt. H.W. Williams, RN), HMS Zephyr (Capt. J.H. Allison, DSO and Bar, RN) and HMS Zest (Lt.Cdr. R.B.N. Hicks, DSO, RN) departed Copenhagen for Rosyth. (3)

21 May 1945
HMS Birmingham (Capt. H.W. Williams, RN), HMS Zephyr (Capt. J.H. Allison, DSO and Bar, RN) and HMS Zest (Lt.Cdr. R.B.N. Hicks, DSO, RN) arrived at Rosyth from Copenhagen. (3)