At the start of the war, Kent operated in the East Indies with the French cruiser Suffren and Australian destroyers against the threat of Admiral Graf Spee. After Italy entered the war, she joined the Mediterranean Fleet, bombarded positions near Bardia, and escorted a Malta convoy during Operation Hats. She then supported the Benghazi raid in which Illustrious mined the harbour before Kent and two destroyers were detached for another bombardment. An Italian SM.79 torpedo bomber struck Kent’s stern during the return. Her survival demonstrates both the growing danger of naval air power and the value of a cruiser able to absorb damage, receive temporary repairs, and reach a major dockyard.
Chapter · 49:12-52:29
HMS Kent in the Mediterranean war
Kent moved from hunting Graf Spee to Mediterranean convoy and bombardment duties, where an Italian aerial torpedo strike forced extensive repairs.