Eleven ships of the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

have been named HMS ''Kent'', after the county of

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

and the

Duke of Kent Duke of Kent is a title that has been created several times in the peerages of Great Britain and the United Kingdom, most recently as a royal dukedom for the fourth son of King George V. Since 1942, the title has been held by Prince Edwa ...

. * was a 46-gun

fourth rate In 1603 all English warships with a complement of fewer than 160 men were known as 'small ships'. In 1625/26 to establish pay rates for officers, a six-tier naval ship rating system was introduced.Winfield 2009 These small ships were divided ...

launched in 1652 as the ''Kentish'', renamed ''Kent'' in 1660, and wrecked in 1672. * was a 70-gun

third rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy, a third rate was a ship of the line which from the 1720s mounted between 64 and 80 guns, typically built with two gun decks (thus the related term two-decker). Rating When the rating system was f ...

launched in 1679, rebuilt in 1699 and 1724, and broken up in 1744. * was a 70-gun third rate launched in 1746 and hulked in 1760. * was a 74-gun third rate launched in 1762 and sold in 1784. * was a 74-gun third rate launched in 1798, converted to a

sheer hulk A hulk is a ship that is afloat, but incapable of going to sea. 'Hulk' may be used to describe a ship that has been launched but not completed, an abandoned wreck or shell, or a ship whose propulsion system is no longer maintained or has been r ...

in 1856, and broken up in 1881. * HMS ''Kent'' (1798) was a 16-gun

gunvessel A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-steam ...

purchased in 1798 and sold in 1801. * HMS ''Kent'' was to have been a 91-gun

second rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a second-rate was a ship of the line which by the start of the 18th century mounted 90 to 98 guns on three gun decks; earlier 17th-century second rates had fewer guns ...

. She was laid down in 1860 but was cancelled in 1863. * HMS ''Kent'' was originally the 98-gun second rate . She was renamed HMS ''Kent'' in 1888 and then HMS ''Caledonia'' in 1891, before being broken up in 1906. * was a

armoured cruiser The armored cruiser was a type of warship of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was designed like other types of cruisers to operate as a long-range, independent warship, capable of defeating any ship apart from a pre-dreadnought battles ...

launched in 1901 and sold in 1920. * was a

heavy cruiser A heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range and high speed, armed generally with naval guns of roughly 203 mm (8 inches) in calibre, whose design parameters were dictated by the Washington Naval Treat ...

launched in 1926 and sold in 1948. * was a

guided missile destroyer A guided-missile destroyer (DDG) is a destroyer whose primary armament is guided missiles so they can provide anti-aircraft warfare screening for the fleet. The NATO standard designation for these vessels is DDG, while destroyers which have a pr ...

launched in 1961 and sold in 1997 for breaking up. * is a

Type 23 frigate The Type 23 frigate or Duke class is a class of frigates built for the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. The ships are named after British Dukes, thus leading to the class being commonly known as the Duke class. The first Type 23, , was commission ...

launched in 1998 and currently in service.

Battle honours

* 1653 Portland¹ * 1654 Gabbard¹ * 1655 Porto Farina * 1665 Lowestoft * 1666 Orfordness * 1692 Barfleur * 1702 Vigo * 1703 Velez Malaga * 1718 Cape Passero * 1747 Ushant * 1801 Egypt * 1914 Falkland Islands * 1940 Atlantic * 1940 Mediterranean * 1942 - 43 Arctic * 1944 Norway 1: As the ''Kentish Frigate''

Battle honours

See also