HMS Zebra was a Z-class destroyer. She was to have been named but was renamed in January 1943 before launching. The destroyer was launched on 18 March 1944 at William Denny & Brothers shipyard in Dumbarton, Scotland and commissioned on 13 October 1944. She was 'adopted' by the civil community of Urmston, then in the county of Lancashire. Design and construction The Z-class were War Emergency Programme destroyers, intended for general duties, including use as anti-submarine escort, and were to be suitable for mass-production. They were based on the hull and machinery of the pre-war J-class destroyers, but with a lighter armament (effectively whatever armament was available) in order to speed production. The Z-class of eight ships formed the 10th Emergency Flotilla, one of five flotillas of War Emergency destroyers ordered under the 1941 War Construction Programme (the U, V, W, Z and Ca-classes (40 destroyers)). The Z-class were long overall, at the waterline and between perpendiculars, with a beam of and a draught of mean and full load. Displacement was standard and full load. Two Admiralty 3-drum water-tube boilers supplied steam at and to two sets of Parsons single-reduction geared steam turbines, which drove two propeller shafts. The machinery was rated at giving a maximum speed of and at full load. 615 tons of oil were carried, giving a range of at . The ship had a main gun armament of four 4.5-inch (120 mm) QF Mk. IV guns, capable of elevating to an angle of 55 degrees, giving a degree of anti-aircraft capability, with the Z-class being the first class of destroyers to use the new gun. The close-in anti-aircraft armament was one Hazemayer stabilised twin mount for the Bofors 40 mm gun, and six Oerlikon 20 mm cannons (two twin and two single mounts, which was modified in 1945 by replacing two of the Oerlikons with two single 2-pounder (40 mm) "pom-pom" autocannon. Two quadruple mount for 21-inch (533 mm) torpedoes was fitted, while the ship had an depth charge outfit of four depth charge mortars and two racks, with a total of 70 charges carried. Zebra had a crew of 179 officers and other ranks. The eight destroyers of the Z-class were ordered in February 1942, The ship that was to become Zebra was laid down at William Denny and Brothers's Dumbarton shipyard on 14 May 1942 as Wakeful. The ship was renamed in January 1943,