HMS Zealous was a Z-class destroyer of the Royal Navy built in 1944 by Cammell Laird.

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.

615 tons of oil were carried, giving a range of 4,675 nautical miles (5,380 mi; 8,658 km) at 20 knots (23 mph; 37 km/h).

[11] After commissioning and working up at Scapa Flow, Zealous joined the 2nd Destroyer Flotilla of the Home Fleet.

[12] On 20 November 1944,[12] as part of an offensive against German shipping (and in particular ships carrying Iron ore) passing through Norwegian coastal waters,[13] Zealous, together with the destroyers Onslaught, Scorpion and Scourge and the cruiser Diadem, escorted the escort carriers Premier and Pursuer as the carriers' aircraft laid mines off Haugesund.

In response, the Germans launched a 30-aircraft strong torpedo-bomber strike, but it failed to find the British force.

The four destroyers rescued 525 Norwegians, who had been hiding from German patrols in caves on the snow-covered mountains for three months.

[18][19] On 16 February, Zealous took part in an operation by British and Soviet ships to drive away U-boats that were waiting outside the Kola Inlet.

Two escorts (the sloop Lark and the corvette Bluebell) and two merchant ships (Thomas Scott and Henry Bacon) were lost, with one U-boat (U-425) also sunk.

[20][21] On 5 April 1945 Zealous was involved in an attack on a convoy entering the Jøssingfjord on the coast of Norway.

The third missile hit Eilat amidships, causing more damage and further fires, while the fourth went astray and crashed in the water nearby.

[34] In Israel, angry crowds surrounded Chief of Staff Yitzhak Rabin and newspaper editorials demanded vengeance.

[citation needed] Sixty-seven hours after the attack Israel retaliated by shelling Port Suez with heavy mortars.

The Soviet Union sent seven warships on a "courtesy call" to Egyptian ports to dissuade Israel from further attacks.

[citation needed] Though not highly publicized at the time, the sinking had a considerable impact on the Israeli Navy.