[3] Wessex was ordered from Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company on 3 December 1941 under the name of Zenith and was laid down at their Govan, Scotland, shipyard on 20 October 1942.

During Operation Robson, an aerial attack on the oil refinery complex at Pangkalan Brandan, Sumatra, on 17–22 December, Wessex escorted the main body of the fleet.

The ship did much the same during Operation Meridian, multiple aerial attacks on the refineries in Sumatra 16–29 January 1945, although she was held back to pick up radar spare parts and did not rendezvous with the fleet until the 19th.

[5] Now part of the British Pacific Fleet, Wessex continued to escort ships and screen operations during the Battle of Okinawa[6] until she began a refit at Auckland that lasted from 5 July to 27 August.

Wessex was recommissioned on 28 August 1947 and was refitted at Portsmouth Royal Dockyard in August–September in preparation for the voyage to South Africa in company with her sister ships, Kempenfelt, Whelp and Wrangler.

Jan van Riebeeck began a refit in March 1971 to prepare her to replace her sister as a training ship that was completed on 12 April 1972 when she was recommissioned.

The ship was reduced to reserve again in late 1975 and Jan van Riebeeck was sunk as a target on 25 March 1980, 60 nautical miles (110 km; 69 mi) south of Cape Town.

The hulk was initially struck by a Skerpioen missile fired by the fast attack craft SAS Jim Fouché from over the horizon, but had to be finished off by gunfire.