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HMS Kent (D12)
Encyclopedia
HMS Kent (D12) was a batch-1 County-class
destroyer
of the Royal Navy
. She and her sisters were equipped with the SeaSlug Mk-1 medium range surface to air missile SAM
system, along with the short-range SeaCat
SAM, two double mount 4.5" gun turrets, two single 20mm cannon, ASW
torpedo tubes, and a platform and hanger that allowed her to operate one Wessex
helicopter. The Counties were large ships, with good seakeeping abilities and long range, and were ideal blue-water ships for their time.
After her commissioning and work-up Kent spent the balance of her career as an escort to the RN's aircraft carrier
fleet. She deployed at various times with HMS Victorious
, HMS Eagle
, and HMS Hermes
in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. She was hard worked thru the 60's, along with her batch-1 County sister ships, as they were the only guided missile armed destroyers in the fleet until the later half of the 1960s.
One role was as host ship for the Withdrawal from Empire negotiations in Gibraltar
. She suffered a fire during refitting in 1976 but was soon repaired and was present for the Silver Jubilee
fleet review of 1977. While all four of the batch-1 Counties were to have mid-life refits and the superior SeaSlug Mk-2 system fitted, the mid-70's cut-backs of RN funds lead to all four ships not receiving the refits and decommissioned early. Kent was decommissioned in the summer of 1980 and became a static harbour accommodation ship at the Portsmouth Naval Base. At the beginning of the Falklands War
she was surveyed for possible recommissioning (her large size, helicopter deck, and four 4.5" would have made her a good Command and shore bombardment ship), but her two years of unmaintained status meant a substantial amount of refit would be required to make her sea worthy, and no work was begun. In 1984 she became a Harbour Training Ship for the Sea Cadet Corps. She was paid off from this in 1987 and became a training hulk at Portsmouth until stricken in 1993, though she lingered on tied up to the same pier at Portsmouth Naval Base until the fall of 1996.
HMS Kent was sold for scrap and in 1998 she was towed to India to be broken up.
County class destroyer
The County class was a class of guided missile destroyers, the first such vessels built by the Royal Navy. Designed specifically around the Sea Slug anti-aircraft missile system, the primary role of these ships was area air-defence around the aircraft carrier task force in the nuclear-war...
destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
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...
. She and her sisters were equipped with the SeaSlug Mk-1 medium range surface to air missile SAM
Surface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles...
system, along with the short-range SeaCat
SeaCat
SeaCat was the marketing name used by Sea Containers Ferries Scotland for its services between Northern Ireland, Scotland and England between 1992 and 2004. The company was originally based in Stranraer later moving to Belfast...
SAM, two double mount 4.5" gun turrets, two single 20mm cannon, ASW
ASW
ASW, a three-letter abbreviation, may refer to:*Air Southwest, a British airline*Ambrosia Software, a predominantly Macintosh software company.*Anti-submarine warfare*Artificial seawater*Aswan International Airport...
torpedo tubes, and a platform and hanger that allowed her to operate one Wessex
Wessex
The Kingdom of Wessex or Kingdom of the West Saxons was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the West Saxons, in South West England, from the 6th century, until the emergence of a united English state in the 10th century, under the Wessex dynasty. It was to be an earldom after Canute the Great's conquest...
helicopter. The Counties were large ships, with good seakeeping abilities and long range, and were ideal blue-water ships for their time.
After her commissioning and work-up Kent spent the balance of her career as an escort to the RN's aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
fleet. She deployed at various times with HMS Victorious
HMS Victorious
Five ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Victorious.*The first Victorious, launched in 1785 at Blackwall Yard, London, was a third-rate ship of the line, with an armament of 74 guns....
, HMS Eagle
HMS Eagle
Eighteen ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Eagle, after the eagle.*HMS Eagle was an ex-merchantman purchased in 1592 and in use as a careening hulk. She was sold in 1683....
, and HMS Hermes
HMS Hermes
Ten ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Hermes, after Hermes, the messenger god of Greek mythology, while another was planned: was a 12-gun brig-sloop, originally the Dutch Mercurius, captured in 1796 by HMS Sylph. She foundered in 1797. was a 22-gun ship purchased in 1798 and sold in 1802....
in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. She was hard worked thru the 60's, along with her batch-1 County sister ships, as they were the only guided missile armed destroyers in the fleet until the later half of the 1960s.
One role was as host ship for the Withdrawal from Empire negotiations in Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
. She suffered a fire during refitting in 1976 but was soon repaired and was present for the Silver Jubilee
Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II
The Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II marked the 25th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the throne of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other Commonwealth realms...
fleet review of 1977. While all four of the batch-1 Counties were to have mid-life refits and the superior SeaSlug Mk-2 system fitted, the mid-70's cut-backs of RN funds lead to all four ships not receiving the refits and decommissioned early. Kent was decommissioned in the summer of 1980 and became a static harbour accommodation ship at the Portsmouth Naval Base. At the beginning of the Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
she was surveyed for possible recommissioning (her large size, helicopter deck, and four 4.5" would have made her a good Command and shore bombardment ship), but her two years of unmaintained status meant a substantial amount of refit would be required to make her sea worthy, and no work was begun. In 1984 she became a Harbour Training Ship for the Sea Cadet Corps. She was paid off from this in 1987 and became a training hulk at Portsmouth until stricken in 1993, though she lingered on tied up to the same pier at Portsmouth Naval Base until the fall of 1996.
HMS Kent was sold for scrap and in 1998 she was towed to India to be broken up.