HMS Kent (F78)

HMS Kent is one of the newest of the Type 23 frigates within the Royal Navy arsenal. Built by BAE Systems on the Clyde, she was launched on 27 May 1998 by Princess Alexandra of Kent.

Role

Led by Commander J D Brettell, HMS Kent is a Type 23 frigate and part of the fleet that is considered to be central to our frontline operations. This includes disrupting the work of criminals, including smugglers, pirates and drug traffickers.

As one of the Royal Navy’s newest frigates, she’s been specially designed for versatility, meaning she can undertake a wide variety of operations, from combat and humanitarian aid to acting as a training vessel for the next generation of Royal Navy engineers. She has also played a key role in high profile ceremonial events.

Duke Class

Unit history

1653

Battle history

The first Kent was known as the Kentish Frigate and was a 4th Rate of 46 guns built in Deptford in 1653. She spent seven years in Cromwell's Navy and saw action on the Barbary Coast.

1679

The Second Kent 1679-1744

The second Kent, a 3rd Rate of 70 guns, was launched at Blackwall. She won four Battle Honours fighting the French and Spanish in the Mediterranean. Her first action was Barfleur 1692.

1702

The War of Spanish Succession

In 1702 she was at the Battle of Vigo, in which 17 French warships and 17 Spanish galleons were captured or destroyed. At the Battle of Malaga, she helped to defeat an attempt to capture Gibraltar.

1746

The Third Kent

The third HMS Kent was a 3rd Rate frigate with 74 guns, commissioned at Deptford in 1746. She saw action off Cape Finisterre and at Ushant, and in 1756, helped retake Calcutta.

1762

The Fourth Kent

The fourth Kent, was another 3rd Rate of 74 guns. She suffered an explosion in 1774 that caused major damage and, although she was rebuilt, she never saw active service in her twenty-one years.

1797

The Fifth Kent

The fifth Kent, built on the Thames, was the last 3rd Rate. She played her part in the defeat of Napoleon's forces in Egypt. Her figurehead was preserved at the main gate of the dockyard.

1928

The Tenth Kent

The tenth Kent was one of the first County Class cruisers she was launched on the 25th June 1928.

1943

Recommission

Kent was hit by a bomb in Devonport but recommissioned in time to join the Fleet in Scapa in October 1943. From then until 1944 she patrolled the Northern approaches.

1944

World War II

In 1944, the ship took part in a number of operations off the Norwegian coast. On 14th November, Kent led a successful attack on a convoy of 11 ships and escorts off Lister fjord.

1963

The Eleventh Kent

The eleventh Kent was a County Class destroyer commissioned in 1963. She was present at the Jubilee Review at Spithead in 1977.

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