HMS Kent (D12)

County class destroyer HMS Kent, c1963 (IWM HU 129867)
HMS Kent, c. 1963 (IWM)
History
United Kingdom
NameHMS Kent
NamesakeKent
Ordered6 February 1957
BuilderHarland & Wolff, Belfast
Laid down1 March 1960
Launched27 September 1961
Commissioned15 August 1963
Decommissioned1980
Stricken1993
IdentificationPennant number: D12
FateSold for scrap in 1998
General characteristics
Class and typeCounty-class destroyer
Displacement6,200 tons (6,800 tons full load)
Length158.6 m (520 ft 4 in)
Beam53 ft (16 m)
Draught20 ft (6.1 m)
PropulsionCOSAG (Combined steam and gas) turbines, 2 shafts
Speed31.5 knots (58.3 km/h)
Range3,500 nautical miles (6,500 km)
Complement470
Armament
Aircraft carriedLynx or Wessex helicopter
Aviation facilitiesFlight deck and enclosed hangar for embarking one helicopter

HMS Kent was a batch-1 County-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She and her sisters were equipped with the Sea Slug Mk-1 medium-range surface-to-air missile SAM system, along with the short-range Sea Cat SAM, two twin 4.5-inch gun turrets, two single 20mm cannon, ASW torpedo tubes, and a platform and hangar that allowed her to operate one Wessex helicopter. The County class were large ships, with good seakeeping abilities and long range, and were ideal blue-water ships for their time.