HMS Kent was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line

Ship of the line

A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th through the mid-19th century to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear...

 of the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

, launched at Blackwall Yard

Blackwall Yard

Blackwall Yard was a shipyard on the Thames at Blackwall, London, engaged in ship building and later ship repairs for over 350 years. The yard closed in 1987...

 in 1679. She was the second ship of the name.

Her first action was as part of the Anglo-Dutch fleet at the Battle of Barfleur

Battle of Barfleur

This article deals in detail with the action on 19 May 1692. For an overview of the battle, its background and aftermath, see Battles of Barfleur and La Hogue...

, it was the start of a very successful career. She gained four Battle Honours fighting the French and Spanish in the Mediterranean in more celebrated victories than any other ship of the same name to date. She was at the Battle of Vigo

Battle of Vigo

The Battle of Vigo may refer to:* Battle of Vigo Bay, which took place in 1702 as part of the War of the Spanish Successcion* Capture of Vigo, a British operation to capture the city in 1719 as part of the War of the Quadruple Alliance...

 in 1702, which ended in a decisive victory, wiping out a fleet of 17 French and 17 Spanish ships. She fought at the Battle of Vélez-Málaga to defend Gibraltar in 1707, in what turned out to be an expensive victory. In 1718, she was part of the Viscount Torrington

George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington

Admiral of the Fleet George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington, KB PC was a British naval officer and statesman of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. His career included service as First Lord of the Admiralty during the reign of King George II.-Naval career:Byng was born at Wrotham, Kent, England...

's fleet in the defence of

Battle of Cape Passaro

The Battle of Cape Passaro was the defeat of a Spanish fleet under Admirals Antonio de Gaztañeta and Fernando Chacón by a British fleet under Admiral George Byng, near Cape Passero, Sicily, on 11 August 1718, four months before the War of the Quadruple Alliance was formally...

 Sicily

Sicily

Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...

. Her last action was in 1744, when she bombarded the Spanish at Santiago da Cuba in the West Indies.

She underwent her first rebuild at Rotherhithe

Rotherhithe

Rotherhithe is a residential district in inner southeast London, England and part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is located on a peninsula on the south bank of the Thames, facing Wapping and the Isle of Dogs on the north bank, and is a part of the Docklands area...

 in 1699, retaining her armament of 70 guns. On 16 February 1722 she was ordered to be taken to pieces and rebuilt at Woolwich Dockyard

Woolwich Dockyard

Woolwich Dockyard was an English naval dockyard founded by King Henry VIII in 1512 to build his flagship Henri Grâce à Dieu , the largest ship of its day....

 as a 70-gun third rate to the 1719 Establishment

1719 Establishment

The 1719 Establishment was the first formal 'Establishment' laid down to govern the construction of all ships built or rebuilt down to those of 20 carriage guns, whether in the Royal Dockyards or by commercial contractors...

. She was relaunched on 19 September 1724.

Kent was broken up in 1744.