hms kent pennant number county class heavy cruiser built royal_navy late 1920s lead ship kent completion ship sent remained beginning second world war aside major refit kent hunted german pocket battleship admiral late reassigned troop convoy escort duties indian_ocean early transferred mediterranean torpedoed shortly arriving ship repair year assigned home_fleet escorted convoys years kent escorted british aircraft carriers aircraft attacks german shipping airfields norway months later flagship force intercepted german convoy norwegian waters sank escorts ship paid early placed reserve target kent sold scrap description kent displaced long tons standard load long tons deep load ship overall length feet beam feet inches draught feet inches powered parsons geared steam turbines driving shafts developed total shaft horsepower gave maximum speed knots mph steam turbines provided admiralty drum water tube boilers kent carried maximum long tons fuel oil gave range nautical miles knots mph ship complement officers men ship mounted calibre inch guns twin gun turrets secondary armament consisted inch anti aircraft guns single mounts kent mounted single pounder light guns ship carried quadruple torpedo tube water mounts inch torpedoes kent lightly protected little single inch plating protecting vital machinery magazines exception protected inches armour space weight reserved aircraft catapult seaplane fitted completed history kent built laid november launched march commissioned june ship assigned 5th cruiser squadron spent bulk period received high angle control system direct anti aircraft guns aircraft catapult fitted armament reinforced addition single inch guns abreast forward funnel quadruple vickers calibre machine guns added kent returned chatham underwent major refit included inch krupp cemented armour belt abreast engine boiler rooms room fire control station belt extended feet lower deck inches armour added protect sides boiler room fan compartments ship aft director moved pedestal tower replaced original aft control station barrel pounder mounts added abreast tower changes raised ship displacement long tons cost estimated unlike sister ships aircraft hangar added pushed limits catapult replaced powerful capable handling heavier flying boat november joined french heavy cruiser australian destroyers voyager vampire hunt german pocket battleship admiral reassigned escort troop convoys indian_ocean january following declaration war italy transferred mediterranean_fleet arriving alexandria august august kent battleships malaya destroyers bombarded italian positions near fort weeks later ship participated operation hats escorting convoy alexandria malta september battleship aircraft carrier kent anti aircraft cruisers calcutta seven destroyers left alexandria bound night september aircraft mined harbour attacked shipping harbour torpedoes bombs sinking destroyers merchant ships kent destroyers detached bombard returning alexandria night september ship hit stern torpedo bombers italian led towed base destroyers great difficulty kent given temporary repairs alexandria september october allow return united_kingdom extensive repairs followed january september time light guns added ship received variety radars included type radar surface gunnery control type anti aircraft gunnery radar type air warning radar repairs completed september spent months working december kent sailed scapa_flow carrying british foreign secretary soviet ambassador great_britain reached december diplomats disembarked meet kent sortied december soviet destroyers failed attempt intercept german 8th engaging british attempting rendezvous convoy ship brought home december cruiser assigned home_fleet escorted convoys briefly escorted convoy return leg russia march provided distant cover convoy following month kent attempted rendezvous damaged light cruiser trinidad west returned trinidad sunk german aircraft happen ship joined convoy close escort return soviet_union ship refitted liverpool july november catapult quadruple calibre machine guns removed single guns added early january cruiser provided cover convoy weeks later mission kent unsuccessfully attacked german submarine brief refit september october chatham dockyard ship exchanged single guns twin gun mounts november provided cover ship covered returning convoy january february following month kent covering force july ship formed covering force protecting british aircraft carriers flying aircraft attack german battleship operation mascot kent escorted aircraft carriers attacked german airfield august escorted carriers september aircraft attacked german shipping near night november flagship rear admiral operation ship light cruiser destroyers attacked south east norway convoy consisted escorted submarine opening fire cruisers destroyers sank escorts unidentified vessel naval war atlantic winding ship age material condition shortage crews man kent paid january remained reserve years target ship struck allocated january arrived january broken west
HMS Kent (54)