HMS Kent (54)

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Career
HMS Kent in September 1931.
Built By:	Chatham Dockyard (Chatham, UK)
Laid down:	15 November 1924
Launched:	16 March 1926
Commissioned:to	25 June 1928
Paid off:	1946
Reserve:	In reserve from 1946 until 1947
Decommissioned:	22 January 1948
Fate:	Scrapped, she was allocated to BISCO on 22 January 1948, and arrived at Troon on 31 January to be broken up by West of Scotland Shipbreakers.
Penant:	56
General Characteristics
Type:	Heavy Cruiser
Displacement:	9,750 tons standard; 13,450 tons full load.
Length:	630 ft (192 m)
Beam:	68.25 ft (20.8 m)
Draught:	16.25 ft (4.9 m)
Propulsion:	4 shaft Parsons geared turbines, 8 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 80,000 shp.
Speed:	31.5 knots
Range:	4 989 km (3,100 miles) at 31.5 knots, 21 404 km (13,300 miles) at 12 knots ; 3,400 tons fuel oil
Complement:	700
Armament:	Original configuration: 4 x 8 in (203 mm) dual guns, 4 x 4 in (102 mm) single AA guns, 2 x 2 pdr (37 mm/40 mm) pom-poms quad guns, 2 x 21 in (533 mm) quad Torpedo Tubes. 1932 - 1937 configuration: 4 x 8 in (203 mm) dual guns, 2 x 4 in (102 mm) single AA guns, 4 x 4 in (102 mm) dual AA guns, 2 x 2 pdr (37 mm/40 mm) pom-poms quad guns, 2 x 0.5 in MG quadruple guns. 2 x 21 in (533 mm) quad Torpedo Tubes. 1937 - 1944 configuration: 4 x 8 in (203 mm) dual guns, 2 x 4 in (102 mm) single AA guns, 4 x 4 in (102 mm) dual AA guns, 6 x 20 mm (0.8 in) single guns, 3 x 20 mm (0.8 in) dual power-operated guns, 2 x 2 pdr (37 mm/40 mm) pom-poms eight barrel guns, 2 x 21 in (533 mm) quad Torpedo Tubes.
Armour:	Original configuration: 1 to 4 in magazine box protection, 1.375 in deck, 1 in side-plating,turrets and bulkheads, 4.5 in belt, 4 internal boiler room sides (added 1936-1940).
Aircraft:	Original configuration: 1 aircraft with 1 catapult, removed in 1942.

HMS Kent (68) was the Kent class cruiser for the Royal Navy. She was built by Chatham Dockyard (Chatham, UK), with the keel being laid down on 15 November 1924. She was launched on 16 March 1926, and commissioned 25 June 1928.

[edit] History

In 1928, she was commissioned as flagship of the 5th Cruiser Squadron on the China Station. In 1937, she returned to Chatham and underwent a major refit, which included increasing her armour. When the refit was finished in 1938, Kent returned to the Far East. In December 1939 she was transferred to the 4th Cruiser Squadron in the East Indies, her duties were anti-raider patrols in the East Indies then was reassigned to troop convoy escort in the Indian Ocean early in 1940.

Following the declaration of war by Italy, she was reallocated to the Mediterranean Fleet, arriving Alexandria in August 1940 with the 3rd Cruiser Squadronn. On 17 August 1940 Kent and twelve destroyers carried out a bombardment of Italian positions around the fortress of Bardia.

On 15 September 1940 Kent, Valiant, the aircraft carrier Illustrious and seven destroyers left Alexandria. The next day, while south off Crete they were joined by the Anti-Aircraft cruisers Calcutta and Coventry. The force then sailed toward Benghazi. During the night of 16 September and 17 September 1940, aircraft from the Illustrious, mined the harbour of Benghazi. They also attacked shipping in the harbour with torpedoes. The Italians lost two destroyers and two merchants.

While returning to base from this attack Kent and two destroyers were detached to bombard Bardia. During the night of 17 September and 18 September 1940 Kent was hit in the stern by a torpedo from Italian torpedo bombers led by Carlo Emanuele Buscaglia. She was towed back to base by the destroyers only with great difficulty. She finally arrived back at Alexandria on 19 September for repairs to allow her to get back to the United Kingdom.

Extensive repairs at Devonport Dockyard followed. These were made worse by a bomb hitting her while in dock. Repairs were completed in time for her to recommission in September 1941 when she joined the 1st Cruiser Squadron, part of the Home Fleet to escort convoys to North Russia.

On 12 November 1944 flying the flag of Adm. McGrigor, in company of light cruiser Bellona, destroyers Myngs, Zambesi, Verulam and RCN Algonquin, raided shipping south east of Egersund, Norway. At position 58.20° N 6.00° E, the TF fell in with a German convoy, four freighters escorted by M.416, M.427, Uj.1221, Uj.1223, Uj.1713 and one more, unidentified, Uj. Opening fire at 2300 hrs, the cruisers and destroyers sank two of the freighters and all the escorts above except the unidentified one.

At the end of 1944 she was involved in a collision with a tanker. After repairs on Clydeside she was retained at Gareloch as Flagship of the Reserve Fleet. In October 1946 she was moved to Chatham to act as flagship of the reserve fleet there. During the Summer of 1947, her armament was removed and she was then used for target trials.

Finally, she was allocated to BISCO on 22 January 1948, and arrived at Troon on 31 January to be broken up by West of Scotland Shipbreakers.

See HMS Kent for other ships of the name.

County-class cruiser

Royal Navy

Kent class - Berwick | Cumberland | Cornwall | Kent | Suffolk

London class - Devonshire | London | Shropshire | Sussex

Dorsetshire class - Dorsetshire | Norfolk

Royal Australian Navy

Kent class - Australia | Canberra

London class - Shropshire (transferred)

List of cruiser classes of the Royal Navy
List of major warship classes of the Royal Australian Navy

County class cruisers
Kent sub class