HMS St. Kitts (D18)

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Career

Ordered:
Laid down:	8 September 1943
Launched:	4 October 1944
Commissioned:	21 January 1946
Decommissioned:	1957
Fate:	Sold for scrap 19 February 1962
Struck:
General Characteristics
Displacement:	2315 tons
Length:	379 ft (oa)
Beam:	40.25 ft
Draught:
Propulsion:
Speed:
Range:
Complement:
Armament:
Aircraft:
Motto:

HMS St. Kitts (D18) was a Battle-class destroyer of the Royal Navy (RN). She was named in honour of the Battle of St. Kitts which took place in 1782. St. Kitts was built by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson Limited on the Tyne. She was launched on the on 4 October 1944 and commissioned on the on 21 January 1946.

St. Kitts joined the 5th Destroyer Flotilla of the Home Fleet upon commission. In 1948, St. Kitts deployed to the Arctic to join the carrier HMS Vengeance, along with a variety of other ships, including other Battle-class destroyer during experiments in that region. In 1953, St. Kitts took part in the large Fleet Review at Spithead to celebration the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. St. Kitts was positioned in the middle of her sister-ships HMS Camperdown and HMS Barfleur. St. Kitts was subsequently placed in Reserve.

In 1954, St. Kitts joined the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla, also part of the Home Fleet. In 1955, St. Kitts, still with the 3rd Flotilla, deployed to the Mediterranean, and took part in the Suez Crisis, which had occurred after the nationalisation of the Suez Canal by the Egyptian leader Nasser. During Operation Musketeer, the invasion of Egypt, St. Kitts performed a variety of duties, including escorting the carrier HMS Eagle, as-well as performing naval bombardment of Port Said. That same year, St. Kitts, along with the rest of the Flotilla, left the Mediterranean to join the Home Fleet. In 1957, St. Kitts was decommissioned, being scrapped in 1962 at Sunderland.