HMS Kent, British heavy cruiser, WW2

SERVICE HISTORIES of ROYAL NAVY WARSHIPS in WORLD WAR 2

HMS KENT - County-type Heavy Cruiser
including Convoy Escort Movements

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	above left - HMS Kent (NP, click photographs for enlargements)
	H. M. S. K E N T "KENT" Class cruiser ordered under the 1924-25 Estimates from HM Dockyard, Chatham and laid down on 15th November 1924. The ship was launched on 16th March 1026 as the 8th RN ship to bear the name, introduced in 1852 for a 40 gun ship and last used by a 1901 cruiser sold in 1920. Build was completed on 22nd June 1928 and she was manned from Chatham Port Division. There is no record of an adoption by a civil community in UK after a successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign between 1941 and 1942, but warships carrying this name have all had a close relationship with the County of Kent. B a t t l e H o n o u r s PORTLAND 1653 - GABBARD 1653 - PORTO FARINA 1655 - LOWESTOFT 1665 - ORFORDNESS 1666 - BARFLEUR 1692 - VIGO 1702 - VELEZ MALAGA 1704 - CAPE PASSARO 1718 - FINISTERRE (2) 1747 - CHANDERNAGORE 1757 - EGYPT 1801 - FALKLANDS 1914 - ATLANTIC 1940 - MEDITERRANEAN 1940 - ARCTIC 1942-43 H e r a l d i c D a t a Badge The White Horse of Kent on a Field Red (Appropriately the Badge of the County of Kent. M o t t o Invicta: 'Unconquered' 1 9 2 8 April Contractors Trials 19th Commissioned at Chatham for trials May 5th Paid-off on completion of Acceptance Trials (Note: Cost of build was £2,084,213 June 22nd Commissioned at Chatham for service on the China Station with 5th Cruiser Squadron. July Prepared for foreign service 5th Sailed from Sheerness after ammunitioning 6th Sailed from Spithead for Gibraltar 11th Sailed from Gibraltar for Malta 14th Deployed in Malta 16th Sailed from Malta for Port Said. 20th Sailed from Port Said for Colombo 31st At Colombo August 4th Sailed from Colombo for Singapore 12th Sailed from Singapore for Hong Kong. 17th Arrived at Hong Kong Joined Squadron as Flagship of CinC China Station.. (Note: Squadron included HM Cruisers SUFFOLK and BERWICK September Deployed with Squadron at Hong Kong. to October November Took passage from Hong to Yokohama for Official Visit. December 2nd Arrived at Yokohama with Squadron to attend Coronation Review by Emperor Hirohito. 4th Present at Review to represent Great Britain. Return passage to Hong Kong 1 9 2 9 Deployed on China Station and carried out official visits and took part in exercises with RN ships on the China Station Carried out Guardship duties at Chinese ports with trade connections with Great Britain and the Empire 1 9 3 0 China Station deployment with Squadron in continuation. Deployed as Guardship in Yangste in June 1 9 3 1 January Squadron duties on China Station in continuation to February March Prepared for return passage to UK for re-commissioning and refit. 15th Sailed from Hong Kong. April Passage in Mediterranean 30th Arrived at Chatham May Paid off and taken in hand for refit at HM Dockyard, Chatham. June Under refit July Re-commissioned for service on China Station in 5th Cruiser Squadron. 15th Sailed from Sheerness to Hong Kong. August On passage in Indian Ocean 30th Arrived at Hong Kong. September Resumed Squadron duties on China Station. October Deployed with Squadron for visits, Guardship and Station exercises. to December 1 9 3 2 China Station duties in continuation 1 9 3 3 China Station deployment in continuation including visit to Yokohama in September 1 9 3 4 January China Station duties with Squadron to February March Prepared for return passage to re commission April Passage to Chatham On arrival Paid-off and taken in hand for refit by HM Dockyard Chatham May 25th Re-commissioned for service on China Station with 5th Cruiser Squadron. June On passage to rejoin Squadron at Hong Kong July Arrived at Hong Kong August Deployed on China Station for Squadron duties based at Hong Kong. to December 1 9 3 5 China Station duties in continuation. 1 9 3 6 January China Station Squadron duties in continuation to September October Sailed from Hong Kong to Chatham for refit and re-commissioning. November Passage delayed in Mediterranean because of Abyssinian crisis December Resumed passage 1 9 3 7 January Paid off on arrival and taken in hand for major refit February Under refit to (Note: Changes included: December 4” Gun mounting between funnels replace by twin 4”” mounting Two eight barrelled Pom-Pom AA guns fitted on both sides of superstructure. Narrow belt of armour plate fitted at waterline level over machinery spaces. Torpedo Tube mountings removed. High Angle Control Directors fitted in place of range finders for AA defence. Two Cranes fitted one each either side of after funnel. 1 9 3 8 January Under refit to April May Harbour trials 25th Re-commissioned for service on China Station with 5th Cruiser Squadron. 26th Commenced sea trials and Shakedown. in Nore area. June Deployed at Chatham and completed storing] July Passage to Spithead. Sailed for foreign service. August Passage with calls at Malta, Port Said, Aden and Singapore. September Passage from Singapore to join Squadron at Hong Kong. 4th Arrived at Hong Kong and joined Squadron as Flagship. Assisted French liner CHENONCEAUI which had gone aground in the entrance to Hong Kong harbour. October Deployed as Flagship of Squadron based at Hong Kong. to December 1 9 3 9 January Flagship duties in continuation to (Note: Other ships in Squadron were HM Cruisers CORNWALL, May DORSETSHIRE and BIRMINGHAM.) June Embarked CinC China Station for passage from Hong Kong to Singapore. (Note: Admiral Sir Percy Noble chaired an Anglo-French Defence Conference considering Japanese activities in China. July Carried out exercises in anticipation of hostilities to Prepared to take up allocated war station. August September Deployed as Flagship of 5th Cruiser Squadron on the China Station. (Note: Other ships in Squadron were HM Cruisers BIRMINGHAM, DORSETSHIRE and CORNWALL.) 2nd Sailed from Hong Kong to take up war station and deployed for interception of German shipping on passage in China Sea 3rd Carried out patrols to intercept German shipping off Shantung 11th Returned to Hong Kong. 13th Sailed for interception patrol off Chinese Mainland. 28th Returned to Hong Kong D e t a i l s o f W a r S e r v i c e October 1st Resumed patrol 24th Returned to Hong Kong for routine docking 31st Sailed for interception patrol November 8th Returned to Hong Kong from patrol. Transferred to 4th Cruiser Squadron, East Indies Station based at Colombo. 12th Took passage to Singapore. 15th Arrived at Singapore. 16th Deployed with French Cruiser SUFFREN, HM Australian Destroyers VOYAGER and VAMPIRE to form Hunting Group for interception of German shipping attempting to return to Europe from ports in Sumatra and Java. 23rd Called at Nancowry. December 2nd Arrived at Colombo to join 4th Cruiser Squadron. 4th Deployed for patrol in Indian Ocean for interception of commerce raiders and support ships. 14th Returned to Colombo. 1 9 4 0 January 8th Passage to Fremantle, Australia for escort of military convoy during passage in Indian Ocean. 17th Arrived at Fremantle. 20th Relieved HM Australian Cruisers CANBERRA and AUSTRALIA off Fremantle as escort for Convoy US1 30th Detached from US1 on relief by HM Aircraft Carrier EAGLE and HM Australian Cruiser HOBART. (Note: US1 was taking ANZAC troops for service in the Middle East. February Indian Ocean patrol deployment in continuation. March Returned to Colombo for refit. 22nd On completion resumed Squadron duties. April 27th Took passage from Trincomalee to join military convoy US2 as escort during passage to Colombo in Indian Ocean. (Note: US2 was also taking ANZAC troops to Egypt. May Transferred to 3rd Cruiser Squadron for service with Mediterranean Fleet. 5th Sailed from Colombo as escort for US2 with HM Battleship RAMILLIES and FS SUFFREN. 12th Joined by HM Destroyers DECOY and DEFENDER to supplement escort during passage in Red Sea. 15th Joined by HM Cruiser LIVERPOOL and HM Sloop SHOREHAM for added defence. 17th Detached from US2 on arrival at Suez. 24th Joined Squadron at Alexandria. June Took part in preparatory exercises with ships of Mediterranean Fleet in anticipation of outbreak of war with Italy. 1 9 4 0 July Nominated for detached service in Indian Ocean. Took passage from Alexandria to Aden. 21st Joined military convoy WS1 during passage to Ceylon in position 34.20S 33.00E. (Note: WS1 comprised rms AQUITANIA, rms MAURETANIA and rms QUEEN MARY taking troops to join 8th Army in EGYPT. As these ships were not required to pass through the Red Sea they had been diverted to Trincomalee. 29th Detached from WS1 on arrival in Ceylon where troops were transferred to smaller transports for onward passage. Took passage to rejoin Squadron at Alexandria. August Passage to Alexandria. (Note: One source records that ship escorted troopships during passage.) 15th Sailed from Alexandria with HM Battleships WARSPITE, MALAYA and RAMILLIES as part of Force A, Mediterranean Fleet 17th Provided cover during air attacks by HM Aircraft Carrier EAGLE and bombardment of Bardia by Force A. 18th Under air attacks during return passage. 30th Deployed with ships of Squadron to cover passage of supply convoy to Malta and transit of HM Battleship VALIANT, HM Aircraft Carrier ILLUSTRIOUS, HM Cruisers CALCUTTA and COVENTRY during passage in Eastern Mediterranean to reinforce Fleet at Alexandria (Operation HATS –See Naval Staff History, THE BATTLE FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN by D MacIntyre, MALTA CONVOYS by R Woodman) September 2nd Detached from HATS to escort 5 ship convoy from Greece with HM Cruisers GLOUCESTER, LIVERPOOL, HM Destroyers MOHAWK and NUBIAN 5th Arrived at Alexandria. 9th Deployed with HMS VALIANT and HM Aircraft Carrier ILLUSTRIOUS to provide cover during air strikes and shore bombardment at Bardia. 17th Carried out bombardment of Fort Cappuzo. Hit by torpedo from Italian aircraft during air attacks and disabled. Taken in tow by HMS NUBIAN. 18th Able to proceed independently to Alexandria. 30th Took passage to Simonstown from Alexandria for temporary repair before return to UK. October Under repair November Post repair trials 25th Took passage from Simonstown for UK, December At Freetown 30th Arrived at Plymouth. 1 9 4 1 January Under repair by HM Dockyard, Portsmouth to 20mm Oerlikon guns fitted on turrets and after structure. August Radar Type 284 fitted for fire-control of forward main armament mountings. Radar Type 285 fitted for fire-control of secondary AA armament. Radar Type 28 1 fitted for aircraft warning (For details of development and use of radar by RN see RADAR AT SEA by D Howse.) September Post refit trials. 30th Took passage from Portsmouth for work-up at Scapa Flow with ships of the Home Fleet. October Joined 1st Cruiser Squadron, Home Fleet on arrival. Deployed at Scapa Flow for work-up. November 3rd Sailed from Scapa Flow with HM Battleship KING GEORGE V, HM Cruisers BERWICK, SUFFOLK and HM Aircraft Carrier VICTORIOUS after report that German warships SHEER and TIRPITZ were expected to attempt breakout into the Atlantic. 6th Deployed in Iceland and available to provide cover for passage of Russian Convoy PQ3 to Archangel. (Note: For details of all Russian Convoys see CONVOYS TO RUSSIA by RA Ruegg, THE RUSSIAN CONVOYS by B Schofield, ARCTIC CONVOYS