HMS Kent

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Rank VI USA | Premium | Golden Eagles
A-10A Thunderbolt (Early)
uk_cruiser_kent.png
GarageImage HMS Kent.jpg
HMS Kent
AB RB SB
5.7 5.7 5.7
Research:75 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:250 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

The County-class, HMS Kent (54), 1934 was a County-class heavy cruiser built for Royal Navy in the mid 1920s. She was laid down on 15th November 1924 and commissioned on 25th June 1928. She was armed with four twin 8 inch/50 Mark VIII cannons in superfiring positions with two on bow and two aft. The secondary armament was made of six 4 inch/45 QF Mark V cannons in single mounts on various locations amidship and four 2 pdr QF Mk.VIII autocannons for anti-aircraft protection and two quadruple 533 mm torpedo launchers. After completion, Kent was sent to China where she stayed until the outbreak of WWII when she was tasked with hunting the German pocket battleship Graf Spee in the East Indies together with the French heavy cruiser Suffren and Australian destroyers Vampire and Voyager. In mid 1940, after Italy declared war, Kent was transferred to the Mediterranean where she arrived in August. Two weeks later, she escorted convoys between Alexandria and Malta. During the night of 17 to 18th September 1940, Kent was attacked by Italian S.M.79 torpedo bombers from 279th Squadriglia Autonoma Aerosiluranti. She was towed to Alexandria by destroyers where temporary repairs were conducted before she departed bound for UK. She spent the rest of 1941 undergoing repairs and refitting during which she gained various radars and multiple Oerlikon autocannons. Between 8th and 12nd December 1941, she sailed to Murmansk with British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden on board. She was assigned to the Home Fleet and escorted convoys bound for Russia until 1944 when she took part in Operation Mascot, covering the carriers performing raids on German battleship Tirpitz in Norway. Kent was put into reserve in January 1945 until being sold for scrap in January 1948.

The Kent was introduced in Update 1.97 "Viking Fury". Her armour protection is very poor for a heavy cruiser with only 25 mm belt armour protecting the machinery and ammo elevators of the turret with 101 mm thick armour plate protecting the magazines. As Kent is in her 1934 fit, she does not possess adequate anti-air protection as the aircraft were not seen as such big threat as later on in the war. The module layout however plays in Kent's favour, as the majority of ship above the waterline is empty so when hit no modules except the ones on superstructure such as secondary weapons or bridge are damaged. All the vital components are located under the waterline being naturally protected from the damage. The 8 inch guns with average fire rate compared to other heavy cruisers possess quite capable penetration capabilities thanks to the SAPBC rounds.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back
Citadel25 / 25 / 35 mm
Main fire tower25 / 25 / 25 mm
Hull25 mm (steel)
Superstructure8 mm (steel)
Number of section9
Displacement13 500 t
Crew784 people

Talk about the vehicle's armour. Note the most well-defended and most vulnerable zones, e.g. the ammo magazine. Evaluate the composition of components and assemblies responsible for movement and manoeuvrability. Evaluate the survivability of the primary and secondary armaments separately. Don't forget to mention the size of the crew, which plays an important role in fleet mechanics. Save tips on preserving survivability for the "Usage in battles" section. If necessary, use a graphical template to show the most well-protected or most vulnerable points in the armour.

Mobility

Speedforward / back
AB66 / 30 km/h
RB56 / 26 km/h

Write about the ship's mobility. Evaluate its power and manoeuvrability, rudder rerouting speed, stopping speed at full tilt, with its maximum forward and reverse speed.

Mobility Characteristics
Game Mode Upgrade Status Maximum Speed (km/h) Turn Time (s) Turn Radius (m)
Forward Reverse
AB Stock ___ ___
Upgraded 66 30
RB/SB Stock ___ ___
Upgraded 56 26

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB9 670 → 13 102 Sl icon.png
RB9 385 → 12 716 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications66 500 Rp icon.png
128 500 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost1 500 Ge icon.png
Crew training72 000 Sl icon.png
Experts250 000 Sl icon.png
Aces940 Ge icon.png
Research Aces480 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
420 / 600 / 100 % Sl icon.png
166 / 166 / 166 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Seakeeping Unsinkability Firepower
Mods new ship hull.png
Dry-Docking
Research:
2 700 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 200 Sl icon.png
190 Ge icon.png
Mods new ship rudder.png
Rudder Replacement
Research:
3 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 800 Sl icon.png
210 Ge icon.png
Mods new ship screw.png
Propeller Replacement
Research:
3 300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
6 400 Sl icon.png
230 Ge icon.png
Mods new ship engine.png
Engine Maintenance
Research:
4 300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 300 Sl icon.png
300 Ge icon.png
Mods ship damage control crew.png
Damage Control Division
Research:
2 700 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 200 Sl icon.png
190 Ge icon.png
Mods ship fire control crew.png
Fire Division
Research:
3 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 800 Sl icon.png
210 Ge icon.png
Mods engine smoke screen system.png
Smokescreen
Research:
3 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 800 Sl icon.png
210 Ge icon.png
Mods ship anti fragmentation protection.png
Shrapnel Protection
Research:
3 300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
6 400 Sl icon.png
230 Ge icon.png
Mods ship venting.png
Ventilation
Research:
3 300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
6 400 Sl icon.png
230 Ge icon.png
Mods new ship pumps.png
New Pumps
Research:
4 300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 300 Sl icon.png
300 Ge icon.png
Mods ship ammo wetting.png
Ammo Wetting
Research:
4 300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 300 Sl icon.png
300 Ge icon.png
Mods new aa caliber turrets.png
Anti-Air Armament Targeting
Research:
2 700 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 200 Sl icon.png
190 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
102mm_uk_mkxvi_navy_SAP_ammo_pack
Research:
2 700 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 200 Sl icon.png
190 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
203mm_uk_mk8_mark_ib_sapc_ammo_pack
Research:
2 700 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 200 Sl icon.png
190 Ge icon.png
Mods new aux caliber turrets.png
Auxiliary Armament Targeting
Research:
3 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 800 Sl icon.png
210 Ge icon.png
Mods he frag dist fuse ship.png
102mm_uk_mkxvi_navy_he_dist_fuse_ammo_pack
Research:
3 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 800 Sl icon.png
210 Ge icon.png
Mods new main caliber turrets.png
Primary Armament Targeting
Research:
3 300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
6 400 Sl icon.png
230 Ge icon.png
Mods ship rangefinder.png
Improved Rangefinder
Research:
3 300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
6 400 Sl icon.png
230 Ge icon.png
Mods torpedo.png
Torpedo Mode
Research:
4 300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 300 Sl icon.png
300 Ge icon.png
Mods shipSupportPlane.png
Hydroplane
Research:
4 300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 300 Sl icon.png
300 Ge icon.png

Armament

Primary armament

4 х Turret2 x 8 inch/50 Mark VIII cannon
Ammunition300 rounds
Vertical guidance-3° / 70°
203 mm 8 inch/50 Mark VIII (x 8)
Turrets (Bow to stern)
Front turret (x2) Front elevated turret (x2) Rear elevated turret (x2) Rear turret (x2)
Vertical guidance -°/+° -°/+° -°/+° -°/+°
Horizontal guidance -°/+° -°/+° -°/+° -°/+°
Ammo capacity
Rounds per turret

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
1,000 m 2,500 m 5,000 m 7,500 m 10,000 m 15,000 m
HE HE 62 62 62 62 62 62
Mark I.B. SAPCBC SAPCBC 274 248 209 178 153 119
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Velocity
(m/s)
Projectile
mass (kg)
Fuse delay
(s)
Fuse sensitivity
(mm)
Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (kg)
Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
HE HE 855 116.1 0 0.1 10 79° 80° 81°
Mark I.B. SAPCBC SAPCBC 855 116.1 0.025 9 5.2 48° 63° 71°

Secondary armament

6 х Turret4 in/45 QF Mark V cannon
Ammunition200 rounds
102 mm 4 in QF Mark V (x 6)
Turrets (Bow to stern)
Front port turret (x2) Front starboard turret (x2) Middle port turret (x2) Middle starboard turret (x2) Rear turret (x2)
Vertical guidance -°/+° -°/+° -°/+° -°/+° ±°
Horizontal guidance -°/+° -°/+° -°/+° -°/+° ±°
Ammo capacity
Rounds per turret

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
1,000 m 2,500 m 5,000 m 7,500 m 10,000 m 15,000 m
4 inch HE HE 11 11 11 11 11 11
4 inch SAP SAP 90 72 51 37 28 24
4 inch HE-TF HE-TF 20 20 20 20 20 20
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Velocity
(m/s)
Projectile
mass (kg)
Fuse delay
(s)
Fuse sensitivity
(mm)
Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (g)
Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
4 inch HE HE 805 14.06 0 0.1 721 79° 80° 81°
4 inch SAP SAP 805 15.2 0.015 5 520 47° 60° 65°
4 inch HE-TF HE-TF 811 15.88 0 0.1 1,550 79° 80° 81°

Anti-aircraft armament

4 х Turret40 mm 2pdr QF Mk.VIII automatic cannon
Ammunition2240 rounds
Belt capacity56 rounds
Fire rate200 shots/min
2 х Turret4 x 12.7 mm Vickers Mk.V machine gun
Ammunition8000 rounds
Belt capacity200 rounds
Fire rate600 shots/min
40 mm 2pdr QF Mk.VIII (x 4)
Turrets (Bow to stern)
Front port turret Middle port turret Front starboard turret Middle starboard turret Rear port turret Rear starboard turret Rear stern turret
Vertical guidance -°/+° ±° -°/+° ±° ±180°
Horizontal guidance -°/+°
Ammo capacity
Rounds per turret

Additional armament

Setup 18 x 533 mm steam turbined Mk.V torpedo
Main article: Mk.V (533 mm)
Torpedo Characteristics
Torpedo Mode Mass (kg) Maximum speed in water (km/h) Travel distance (km) Depth stroke (m) Arming distance (m) Explosive type Explosive mass (kg) TNT equivalent (kg)
No 1,736 74 4.57 1 50 TNT 305 305
Yes 1,736 46 12.34 1 50 TNT 305 305

Scout plane

Main article: Osprey Mk IV

Located amidships is a catapult with one Osprey Mk IV scout plane which provides unique offensive and defensive abilities, expanding tactical options. Ship-launched scout planes fly just like regular tree units but lack munition choices and cockpit views. The Osprey may look familiar as it is a derivative of the Nimrod fighter, but as a 2 seater equipped with a defensive machine gun along with the fixed machine gun and no bombs. It does have the scout plane ability to cap zones and lay down smoke cover (up to 3 times). Captains will be wise to remember to utilise the aircraft and consider when best to use it, for example to cap a point early or late in the match, to create a smoke screen to stymie enemy bombardment and repair, to attack enemy units directly, or perhaps something completely new!

Usage in battles

HMS Kent provides incredible protection: it features torpedo protection of 250 kg, which translates into taking multiple torpedo strikes, without sinking. However, this heavy cruiser can still be sunk by a single well placed torpedo. If it was to hit the front of starboard (left) or port (right) sides which is the closes to the ammunition storage for turret A (first turret on the ship). HMS Kent has the 8" cannons installed, which are the same cannons on the previous ship HMS York. The Kent, has four turrets with two 8" cannons per turret providing it a total of eight, 8" cannons with 1,200 rounds of ammunition. The ammunition choices for main 8" armament is limited to fire only HE or SAPCBC rounds or a combination of both.

HMS Kent secondary armament consists of six 4" deck cannons, which can carry 1,200 rounds of the following ammunition HE, SAP or HE-TF. The anti-aircraft is placed on the mid-ships of the ship, the armament consists only of four 40 mm 2-pdr automatic cannons, with 8,960 rounds of ammunition. Two quad firing 12.7 mm, Vickers machine guns with 16,000 rounds of ammunition.

To get the best performance out of HMS Kent, it's important to keep enemy ships at range - the eight 8" cannons will be able to knock out any enemy ship fast with well placed shots. To do this, aim for the enemy ship turrets and knock them out so it cannot fire back. Additionally, the SAPCBC rounds will penetrate the deck of the ship and detonate the ammo racks knocking that turret out completely. To do this use the SAPCBC which provide up to 263 mm of penetration and at long range up to 15,000 m up to 143 mm of penetration. This is able to penetrate any ship deck and cause catastrophic damage to the enemy ship.

Biggest Naval threats

The biggest naval threats to this ship are the following ships:

  • Kirov-class light cruisers: offer fast speed, agile handling along with a devastating salvo which is able to penetrate the armour of HMS Kent. Importantly, the Kirov class ships lack armour protection and can be easy destroyed at range by the SAPCBC rounds. However at close ranges the Kirov class, light cruisers require precision aiming for the weak parts on their hull and armour to be sunk.
  • Chapayev, Zheleznyakov & Sverdlov light cruisers offer great handling, good speed, incredible powerful main armament and powerful secondary armament. Both of these two Russian naval ships feature incredible strong hull and belt armour able to with stand non-armour piercing rounds. However, these two ships have one major weakness the turrets and deck armour can be easily knocked out by the British 8" cannons when firing SAPCBC rounds.
  • Admiral Graf Spee heavy cruiser - The legendary and iconic heavy cruiser called by Great Britons "The Pocket Battleship", the Admiral Graf Spree is one of the most formable ships in the game with two turrets containing 3 x 283 mm/52 SK C/28 cannons, which are the same cannons used on some German battleships! The rounds from this pocket battleship are able to destroy any ship with a few salvos fired from it. HMS Kent with its 8" cannons firing SAPCBC rounds is able to destroy the Admiral Graf Spree at ranges of over 15,000 m. However to do this, HMS Kent must stay hidden from the Admiral Graf Spree, aim for its frontal turret as a marker use the SAPCBC rounds to penetrate its weak deck armour and detonate its magazine.
  • Admiral Hipper & Prinz Eugen heavy cruisers - These German heavy cruisers offer great armour protection and powerful cannons along with torpedoes. These heavy cruisers are able to be a royal pain for HMS Kent, they are able to withstand salvos fired from her 8" cannons. The ammunition fired from the Admiral Hipper & Prinz Eugen heavy cruisers, can cause major damage and penetrate HMS Kent turret armour causing the turrets to become knocked out. HMS Kent can knock out the Admiral Hipper & Prinz Eugen heavy cruisers however it is not easy even at close range - the ideal distance to knock them out is between 5,000 and 8,000 m with SAPCBC rounds performing a full broadside - Aim for the front of the Admiral Hipper & Prinz Eugen Heavy cruisers.

Another way of knocking Admiral Hipper & Prinz Eugen Heavy cruisers out is by aiming for the bridge and castle deck and setting it on fire with every salvo. Over time this will knock the crew out slowly and cause the ship to run out, causing critical damage to the ship making repairs longer and longer. Allowing for more hits to happen and possibly a torpedo strike from HMS Kent to finally sink the Admiral Hipper & Prinz Eugen heavy cruisers.

  • Mogami class light and heavy cruisers: they are incredible strong at long range engagements, the main armament from the Mogami-class cruisers are able to penetrate and destroy HMS Kent with ease. The armour on Mogami-class cruisers can reduce the 8" SAPCBC impact. At close ranges from under 8,000 m Mogami-class cruisers can be easily knocked out from the 8" SAPCBC round. To do this, target the front turrets and the SAPCBC round will penetrate the ammo racks and cause the magazines of the three main guns to explode.
Handling aircraft threats

HMS Kent is able to handle aircraft threats very well, its defensive armament when loaded with HE-TF is able to destroy the enemy torpedo and bomber aircraft with ease. However, it's important that you stay aware of them in battle. If they drop any torpedoes they must be dodged, only one torpedo needs to miss the torpedo protection and it's game over.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Great main and secondary armament
  • 8" SAPCBC round is one of the best in game, able to cause major damage to any ship it hits
  • Good survivability and features torpedo protection
  • Torpedo protection offers protection of up to 250 kg warheads
  • One scout seaplane

Cons:

  • Not as fast as some other heavy cruisers
  • Long turning radius
  • Limited anti-aircraft protection compared to HMS London
  • Limited armour protection, does not protect all the critical parts
  • Fuel tanks are not protected by armour plates and if penetrated can cause fires

History

HMS Kent underway near Scapa Flow

HMS Kent was a County-class heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy. Built in the 1920s, the ship enjoyed a long service life stretching into the final stages of World War II. After her commissioning, she served in the China Station until the start of the Second World War. Following the outbreak of war, she participated in the hunt for Admiral Graf Spee, escorted convoys in the Indian ocean and saw service in Norway. Following the end of war, she was decommissioned, and was eventually scrapped after being used as a target ship.

Design and construction

HMS Kent was the lead ship of the Kent subclass of the County-class cruisers. As the first 'treaty' cruisers designed following the Washington Naval Treaty, they were built within the 10-thousand ton standard-displacement limit. She carried substantial armament of eight 8-inch (203 mm) guns in four double mounts, as well as two quadruple torpedo launchers and numerous AA defences. However, she was very lightly protected due to the imposed weight limitations. She could make a top speed of 31.5 knots (58 km/h).

Kent was laid down on November 15th 1924, and was launched in March of 1926. Following her completion, she was formally commissioned in June of 1928.

Service History

Following her completion, Kent was assigned to the 5th Cruiser squadron of the China Station. She spent the majority of her pre-war years serving with the China Station, though she returned to the UK in 1937 to receive additional armour plating.[1] Following the outbreak of war, she joined the French cruiser Suffren and two Australian destroyers on the hunt for Graf Spee. She was then reassigned to troop convoy escort duties in the Indian ocean for the first part of 1940.[2]

After Italy declared war, she was reassigned once again to the British Mediterranean squadron. In September of that year, she was torpedoed by Italian SM.79 bombers, and subsequently underwent a lengthy refit receiving numerous additional anti-aircraft guns.[1] She went on to serve as a convoy escort between 1942 and 1943, and provided cover for British aircraft carriers attacking the Tirpitz in Operation Mascot.[2]

In early 1945, it was apparent that the ship's deteriorating condition and lack of crew was impeding its ability to operate. As a result, the ship was paid off in early 1945. She remained in reserve until early 1948, when she was used as a target ship.[1] Thereafter, she was given to BISCO for scrapping.[2]

Media

Skins

See also

Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

  • reference to the series of the ship;
  • links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

References

Citations
  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Russian Convoy Club of New Zealand. (2004)
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Smith, G. (2005)
Bibliography
  • Russian Convoy Club of New Zealand. (2004). Royal Navy Ships G. Retrieved November 17, 2020, from http://www.russianconvoyclub.org.nz/RoyalNavyShipsGL.html
  • Smith, G. (2005). HMS Kent, heavy cruiser, WWII. Retrieved November 17, 2020, from https://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-06CA-Kent.htm


Chatham Dockyard
Light Cruisers 
Arethusa-class  HMS Arethusa
Heavy Cruisers 
Hawkins-class  HMS Hawkins
County-class  HMS Kent

Britain heavy cruisers
Hawkins-class  HMS Hawkins
York-class  HMS York
County-class  HMS Kent · HMS London · HMS Norfolk