HMS Kent back in the water

After 245 days in dock, HMS Kent finally flooded up 26 July 2011 and got water under her keel after a considerable amount of work to her hull.

As well as several repairs and a large number of coats of paint, all water inlets and outlets below the waterline have been changed to ensure that the ship will last until its next ‘MOT’.

Just prior to letting the water into the dock, the ship was a hive of activity to make sure that all checks had been made, no holes remained and that when water flooded around the hull, we didn’t spring any leaks.

There was one minor leak discovered on the first attempt to flood up, delaying it for a day but that was soon resolved.

This was the first major milestone in the ship’s emergence from refit with many more to come in the next few months.

With the new Commanding Officer, Commander Ben Ripley joining at the end of August and the next major milestone of Ships Staff Move Onboard at the start of September, this is a busy period for the ship.