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Current Location
British coastal waters
10:07 GMT - 21 December 2011
Search and Rescue
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HMS Kent
HMS Kent is one of the newest of the Type 23 frigates within the Royal Navy arsenal. Built by BAE Systems’ Scotstoun Shipyard on the Clyde, she was launched on 27 May 1998 by Princess Alexandra of Kent. HMS Kent has recently sailed following an extensive refit in Rosyth. She is expected to re-join the Fleet in early 2012 and be ready to deploy on operations in 2013.
COMMANDING OFFICER
Ben Ripley
- RANK:
- Commander
- JOINED:
- 1990
- SPECIALISATION:
- Warfare Officer
- PREVIOUS UNITS:
- HMS Penzance, HMS Ramsey, HMS Pembroke
Military experience
Born in 1971 and raised in Lancashire, Ben Ripley attended Saddleworth School. He joined the Royal Navy in 1990 as a Warfare Officer.
Operationally he has a broad portfolio of experience. After completing his bridge watchkeeping qualification he sub-specialised in hydrographic surveying and navigation and served in a variety of survey Ships. Most notably he deployed to Antarctica, Oman and the United States during this period and he was involved twice in NATO operations in the Former Yugoslavia.
His return to core warfare in 1999 saw him become the first ever hydrographer to qualify as a Principal Warfare Officer (specialising in underwater warfare) and he was subsequently employed across the full spectrum of military activity; from counter-terrorism maritime security operations to military aid to the civil power during the 2003 Firefighters’ strike. Shortly after promotion to Lieutenant Commander he commanded three Sandown Class Minehunters; Her Majesty’s Ships Penzance, Ramsey and Pembroke, on operations in the Baltic, UK waters and the Persian Gulf.
Staff appointments have included a training appointment, teaching underwater warfare to the Initial Warfare Officers’ Course; he was operations officer of CTF 320, CINCFLEET’s Maritime Special Operations division and he has worked as a planning officer at the United Kingdom Maritime Component Commander in Bahrain. Ben completed the Advanced Command and Staff Course in 2010, where he gained a Master’s degree in Defence Studies from King’s College London and he was awarded the Naval Review prize as the best joint maritime student.
Ben Ripley was given the great privilege of taking command of HMS Kent in late 2011. In his spare time he enjoys running, mountain biking, fly fishing and shooting.
OPERATIONS
Training
CURRENT STATUS: active
The ship and her company are being put through their paces in preparation for returning to the front line.
LATEST NEWS
TOP STORIES
HMS Kent returns to Portsmouth after 12-month revamp in Scotland
01 December 2011Under gloomy December skies, HMS Kent sailed into Portsmouth today...
HMS Kent returns to sea after year-long refit
14 November 2011Royal Navy warship HMS Kent picked an auspicious day in...
Royal Navy Brushes Up The Decks At Local School
19 September 2011A Rosyth primary school has benefitted from the efforts of...
WEAPONS SYSTEM
Weapons System
Type 23 Weapons System
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4.5Mk8 Gun
medium calibre weapon system
If you're looking for punch and firepower, then the 4.5in main gun, found on the forecastle of all the Royal Navy's destroyer's frigates and destroyers, is the most obvious provider. Even in an age of missiles, there's still a need for a weapon to pulverise enemy positions and demoralise the foe - and the 4.5in gun has done so in the Falklands and Iraq. The gun can fire up to two dozen high explosive shells weighing more than 40kg (80lbs) at targets more than a dozen miles away - and nearly 18 miles if special extended-range shells are used. In various forms, the 4.5in has been the Navy's standard medium gun since before World War 2, embodied today by the Mk8 which has been in service since the early 1970s. There are two types of Mk8 used by the Fleet. The older Mod 0 (with its curved turret), which is gradually being replaced, and the angular Mod 1 (nicknamed Kryten after the robot on the sci-fi sitcom Red Dwarf) which is harder for enemy radar to pick up. The main purpose of the gun is Naval Gunfire Support – artillery bombardment of shore targets. In this role the gun is capable of firing the equivalent of a six-gun shore battery. The Mk8 can also be used effectively against surface targets at sea.
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Harpoon
Anti-ship missile System
Harpoon is the long-range lance of the Type 23 frigate, capable of destroying enemy ships far beyond the horizon. Fitted to all Type 23 Frigates, the Boeing (formerly McDonnell Douglas) Harpoon is a sophisticated anti-ship missile capable of striking at targets more than 80 miles away. Harpoon uses a combination of inertial guidance and active radar homing to attack its prey. Cruising at Mach 0.9 and carrying a large high explosive warhead it is powered by a lightweight turbojet, but is accelerated at launch by a booster rocket.
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Helicopter
Airbourne weapons System
The Merlin Mk1 have been in service with the Fleet Air Arm since the late 1990s and, after thorough testing and evaluation, the helicopters have been on the front line since 2000. Our job is to find – and if necessary destroy – enemy submarines using our state-of-the-art sonar bouys which we drop into the ocean and Sting Ray torpedoes. Beyond searching for submarines, we carry out traditional maritime helicopter duties: anti-piracy/drug-running patrols, surveillance and reconnaissance, search and rescue, and passenger and load transfers
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Sea Wolf
Surface to Air Missile system
Seawolf is the shield of Britain’s frigate fleet against air attack. Defending Britain's frigate fleet against air attack, the Seawolf missile has been in service for more than 30 years and has proven itself in action in the Falklands. Unlike Sea Viper and Sea Dart, Seawolf is intended to defend an individual ship rather than a task group, engaging aircraft or sea-skimming missiles. It is fired either from a vertical silo on Type 23 frigates, and guided on to its target courtesy of a tracking system on the ship. The original Seawolf had a very limited range of just six miles, but the frigate fleet is in the middle of receiving the latest, more potent version of the missile system. It means that Seawolf can track – and destroy – a target the size of a cricket ball travelling at three times the speed of sound well beyond the limit of the original missile. If the system was placed in the middle of London, it could track its target over the M25 and knock it out of the sky over the North Circular - and the whole action would last under 20 seconds. Each Type 23 frigate carries out at least two Seawolf firings on ranges off the UK coast before each deployment.
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DLH Decoy Launch System
active decoy system
The DLH system is carried by the Navy's frigates and is designed to lure attacking anti-ship missiles away from the unit.
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Torpedo
Magazine torpedo launch System (MTLS)
Dropped by Lynx and Merlin helicopters, and launched from the MTLS, Sting Ray is a small lightweight torpedo designed to destroy enemy submarines. It weighs seven times less than torpedoes fired by submarines, racing through the water at more than 50mph at targets half a dozen miles away, delivering a 100lb explosive charge powerful enough to punch through the double hulls of modern submarines. Once Sting Ray is fired it uses the information provided initially by the helicopter and gathers fresh intelligence on its target using its sonar and onboard software which is designed not to be fooled by the enemy submarine’s decoys.
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Towed Array
Sub Surface detection system
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30mm Gun
Medium Calibre gun system
ABOUT THE UNIT
KEY STATISTICS
- Pennant
F78
- Displacement
4,900tonnes
- Complement
185personnel
- Length
133Metres
- Beam
16.1metres
- Draught
7.3metres
- Top Speed
28knots
- Range (Nautical)
7,800miles
- Launch Date
27/05/98
- Commissioned date
08/06/00
TAKE A LOOK
PHOTO GALLERY
HMS Kent
UNITS IN TIME
HMS Kent HISTORY
TRACK THE HISTORY OF SHIPS NAMED HMS Kent
Current Jobs
Defence Technical Non Grade Scheme (Marine Engineering)
The engineering branch includes weapons marine and air engineering. Marine Engineers manage the repair and maintenance of the ships electrical and mechanical systems alongside and at sea. Later in your career you will become involved in the procurement and building...
Marine Engineering Grad Entry
The Engineering Branch includes weapons, marine and air engineering. Marine Engineers manage the repair and maintenance of the ships mechanical and hydraulic systems alongside and at sea. Later in your career you will become involved in the procurement and building of...
Logistics Officer
As a Logistics Officer, you’ll be responsible for making sure your ship has everything it needs, when it needs it, to stay effective on operations. Leading a team of highlytrained specialists, you’ll apply your organisational skills to stock your ship...
23 June
RNAS Yeovilton Air Day 2012
Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton Somerset 23 June 2012
The Royal Navy’s premier air show will be commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Falklands Campaign. When the Task Force set out on its 8000 mile journey to retake the...




