Allied Warships
HMS Kent (54)
Heavy cruiser of the Kent class
HMS Kent after refitting at Devonport Dockyard September 1941
| Navy | The Royal Navy |
| Type | Heavy cruiser |
| Class | Kent |
| Pennant | 54 |
| Built by | Chatham Dockyard (Chatham, U.K.): Hawthorn Leslie & Co. (Hebburn-on-Tyne, U.K.) |
| Ordered | 19 May 1924 |
| Laid down | 15 Nov 1924 |
| Launched | 16 Mar 1926 |
| Commissioned | 25 Jun 1928 |
| End service | Jan 1945 |
| History | From completion until 1939 was assigned to the China Station in the 5th Cruiser Squadron, undergoing a reconstruction in 1937-38. |
Commands listed for HMS Kent (54)
Please note that we're still working on this section.
| Commander | From | To | ||
| Douglas Cuthbert Lang, RN | 27 Feb 1945 | |||
| 1 | Capt. Leslie Haliburton Ashmore, RN | 7 Apr 1938 | 12 Sep 1939 | |
| 2 | Capt. Douglas Young-Jamieson, RN | 12 Sep 1939 | 24 Feb 1941 | |
| 3 | Cdr. (retired) John Henry Venville, RN | 24 Feb 1941 | 15 May 1941 | |
| 4 | Capt. Angus Edward Malise Bontine Cunninghame-Graham, RN | 15 May 1941 | 7 Jul 1943 | |
| 5 | Capt. Geoffrey Alan Brooke Hawkins, DSC, RN | 7 Jul 1943 | Jan 1945 | |
| 6 | Capt. (retired) Walter Herman Gordon Fallowfield, RN | 27 Feb 1945 | 14 Oct 1945 | |
| 7 | Capt. (retired) Philip Hugh Calderon, RN | 8 Sep 1945 | 4 Nov 1946 | |
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Noteable events involving Kent include:
There is a ceremony in Rochester Cathedral every Saturday morning at 11 A.M. The ship's bell of the 8" cruiser (County Class) is in the Rochester Cathedral and preceding a short ceremony 8 bells are sounded on the bell. From time to time various veterans of the wartime crew attend the ceremony as occasionally have members of the present ship!s company. On the 29th July 2006 5 ex Royal Marines from the 1938 - 1940 commission are meeting there (one from Canada) and following the 11 A.M. ceremony will have lunch at a local pub. Any other shipmates will be more than welcome.If you want information on a contact address let us know, we will then supply the contact's e-mail address.
17 Aug 1940
In the early morning the British battleships
HMS Warspite (Capt. D.B. Fisher, CBE, RN), HMS Malaya (Capt. A.F.E. Palliser, DSC, RN), HMS Ramillies (Capt. H.T. Baillie-Grohman, OBE, DSO, RN) the British heavy cruiser
HMS Kent (Capt. D. Young-Jamieson, RN) escorted by the British destroyers
HMS Nubian (Cdr. R.W. Ravenhill, RN), HMS Mohawk (Cdr. J.W.M. Eaton, RN), Hyperion (Cdr. H.St.L. Nicolson, DSO and Bar, RN), HMS Hostile (Lt.Cdr. A.F. Burnell-Nugent, DSC, RN), HMS Hero (Cdr. H.W. Biggs, DSO, RN), HMS Hereward (Lt.Cdr. C.W. Greening, RN), HMS Ilex (Lt.Cdr. P.L. Saumarez, DSC, RN), HMS Diamond (Lt.Cdr. P.A. Cartwright, RN), HMS Juno (Cdr. W.E. Wilson, RN) and the Australian destroyers
HMAS Stuart (Capt. H.M.L. Waller, RAN), HMAS Waterhen (Lt.Cdr. J.H. Swain, RAN) and HMAS Vendetta (Lt.Cdr. R. Rhoades, RAN) carried out a bombardment of Italian positions around the fortress of Bardia.
17 Sep 1940
British raid on Benghazi;
Aircraft from the British aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious (Capt. D.W. Boyd, DSC, RN) attacked Italian ships in Benghazi harbour. Also mines were laid off the harbour. The destroyer Borea was sunk by torpedo, The destroyer Aquilone was mined and sunk. The merchants Gloria Stella (5490 GRT) and Maria Eugenia (4702 GRT) were also sunk during the attack.
Illustrious was escorted by the British battleship HMS Valiant (Capt. H.B. Rawlings, OBE, RN) the British heavy cruiser HMS Kent (Capt. D. Young-Jamieson, RN), the British light cruisers HMS Liverpool (Capt. P.A. Read, RN) HMS Gloucester (Capt. H.A. Rowley, RN), HMS Orion (Capt. G.R.B. Back, RN) and the British destroyers HMS Nubian (Cdr. R.W. Ravenhill, RN), HMS Mohawk (Cdr. J.W.M. Eaton, RN), HMS Hero (Cdr. H.W. Biggs, DSO, RN), HMS Hasty (Lt.Cdr. L.R.K. Tyrwhitt, RN), HMS Hyperion (Cdr. H.St.L. Nicolson, DSO and Bar, RN), HMS Hereward (Lt.Cdr. C.W. Greening, RN), HMS Decoy (Cdr. E.G. McGregor, DSO, RN), HMS Jervis (Capt. P.J. Mack, DSO, RN) and the Australian destroyer HMAS Waterhen (Lt.Cdr. J.H. Swain, RAN).
After the attack HMS Kent, escorted by HMS Nubian and HMS Mohawk, was detached to bombard Italian positions at Bardia early on the 18th. However before this could materialise HMS Kent was torpedoed and heavily damaged by Italian torpedo bombers (two S.79 of 278th Squadriglia Aerosiluranti: pilot lieutenant Guido Robone is Carlo Emanuele Buscaglia) just before midnight. Kent was hit in the stern and badly damaged. Kent was towed to Alexandria by HMS Nubian, escorted by light cruiser HMS Orion, AA cruiser HMS Calcutta (Capt. D.M. Lees, DSO, RN) and destroyers HMS Mohawk, HMS Jervis, HMS Juno (Cdr. W.E. Wilson, RN), HMS Janus (Cdr. J.A.W. Tothill, RN) and the Australian destroyer HMAS Vendetta (Lt.Cdr. R. Rhoades, RAN).
HMS Kent arrived at Alexandria early on the 19th. Emergency repairs were carried out and Kent departed for the UK (around Africa) on 26 October 1940. Kent arrived at Plymouth on 27 December. Repairs were completed in September 1941.
12 Nov 1944
HMS Kent (Flying the Flag of Adm. R.R. McGrigor, CB, DSO, RN) in company of light cruiser HMS Bellona, the destroyers HMS Myngs, HMS Zambesi, HMS Verulam and HMCS Algonquin, raided shipping south-east of Egersund, Norway.
At position 58°20'N, 06°00'E, the TF fell in with a German convoy, 4 freighters escorted by M 416, M 427, UJ 1221, UJ 1223, UJ 1713 and one more, unidentified auxiliary submarine chaser. Opening fire at 2300 hrs, the cruisers and destroyers sank 2 of the freighters and all the escorts above except the unidentified one. (see map)