The HMS Kenya (Pennant number 14), the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name of the then colony in Africa, was a Crown Colony-class light cruiser, like Fiji. Built by Alexander Stephen and Son of Glasgow, it was set on 18 June 1938, launched on 18 August 1939, and entered service on September 27, 1940, in the middle of World War II.
The Home Fleet 1940-42
At the time of entry into service, the unit was joined to the Home Fleet based at Scapa Flow, attending from 7 October following the convoy escort WS3 direct in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Returned from the escort mission on November 17, was assigned to the 10th Cruiser Squadron, then stayed on the site in Devonport for routine work between 10 and 25 December, the day on which it was rushed to the aid of the convoy WS5A, attacked surprised by the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper German.
The next day, he lent assistance to the SS Empire Trooper damaged by the fire of the enemy ship before escorting her to the Azores and then to Gibraltar, where he arrived on January 4, 1941. Back at home, escorting a convoy returning from Freetown, came to Greenock on the 30th of the month and was assigned to convoy escort ocean.
In February, it was occupied in escorting a number of convoys stopping at Gibraltar on 22 of the month. On March 10, attacked an Italian submarine detected on the surface, forcing him to dive with the fire of the secondary weapons.
A week later, he took part along with the aircraft carrier Ark Royal and the cruiser Renown battle to escort the convoy SL67, believed to be a prey to the “pocket battleships” German Scharnhorst and Gneisenau.
The threat of unit area did not materialize, while five merchant ships in the convoy were affodndati by U-boat U-105 and U-124. On April 15, I was raised by the task of convoy escort and sent to Scapa Flow. And was then assigned to patrol the waters to the northwest of the British Isles. From May 8th, gave coverage to the units of the First Squadron minelayer engaged in the placement of a significant barrier to the North Sea.
On May 22, he sailed together with a broad deployment of forces consisting of the battleship King George V from the aircraft carrier Victorious and the cruisers Galatea, Hermione, and Aurora with an escort of seven destroyers to intercept the Bismarck, in the navigation ‘ aim of attacking the convoys in the North Atlantic.
After the sinking of the Hood at the Battle of the Denmark Strait participated in the escort to Victorious together with Hermione to ‘Aurora, therefore not taking part in the forefront of the hunt for Bismarck.
After the sinking of the battleship enemy, sailed for ‘Iceland to refuel, taking part together with the Aurora from 30 May to patrolling the coast of Greenland in search of enemy support ships. The next day, the survivors were recovered. Carco Marconi was sunk by a submarine five days earlier.
On June 3, the ship was intercepted support for submarine Belchen, in the process of supplying the ‘U-93. Attached with the primary weapons, the ship was soon caught in a fire, while the Aurora finished its destruction with a torpedo. From June 16, it gave coverage to new missions laying of minefields in the Denmark Strait, coming into collision with the destroyer Brighton 25.
The damage was light on the right side to the B side of the turret, while the destroyer had to be towed to Iceland for temporary repairs to the bow. Back at home, he was stationed in Rosyth waiting for repairs, then entering the yard on 28 July. During the work, the Type 271 radar for the detection of surface ships and to increase the short-range air defense, two new 20 mm Oerlikon guns. Output from the yard at the end of August, he resumed service from the base of Scapa Flow.
The first mission of September saw Kenya engaged in escort to a mine lying near the Norwegian coast in the area of Stadlandet. From September 17, it was decided the unit impego a refueling operation on the island of Malta as the flagship of Admiral Harold Burrough.
Boarded ground staff of the RAF, then sailed for Gibraltar along with the battleships Nelson, Rodney, and Prince of Wales, the cruisers Edinburgh, Sheffield, and Euryalus, and a destroyer escort.
On September 24, the crossing of the western Mediterranean and the Strait of Sicily began, during which the convoy was attacked by Italian torpedo boats and air forces. Further coverage was provided by the merchant ships of Force H. The 28 completed the mission and returned along with the spare unit in Gibraltar, where he arrived on September 30.
From the day after, it was used together with Sheffield in the hunt for the German support ship Kota Pinang, seen coming out of Bordeaux. On October 3, the enemy unit was identified and sunk with the main armament and torpedoes.
From 8, went into the yard for minor repairs made necessary as a result of damage sustained in adverse weather conditions. Then, returned to Scapa Flow, October 31 began with two destroyers patrolling off the coast of Iceland.
On November 6, Soviet general Gromoff and other staff officers to Iceland for subsequent transfer by ship to Murmansk. From November 9, I took part in convoy escort Arctic FP3, during which one of the crew turned lost at sea due to bad weather.
Reached its destination and landed passengers, from 21 November, took part in a mission to patrol the coast of the extreme northeast of Norway together with the destroyers and Soviet Gromki Gremyashi, in addition to British Bedouin and Intrepid. Four days later, he took part in the bombing of the islands of Vardo and Hornoy. From November 28, then took part in convoy escort back QP4, arriving at Rosyth on 6 December.
Entry into the pipeline for the installation of steam pipes to reduce the effects of arctic temperatures on the equipment of the bridge also received new radar Type 284 and Type for the main pieces to replace the previous 283 Type 271. From December 24 took part in ‘Operation Archery, landing two teams of commandos and Vågsøy Malloy along with four destroyers and two landing ships infantry.
The next day, she was forced to seek shelter in Sullom Voe, Shetland, because of bad weather that forced him to postpone the entire operation for 24 hours. On December 27, they put the landings of British and Norwegian commandos on the lens, batteries opening fire on the ground and being slightly damaged.
The next day, when the mission ended, they arrived at Scapa Flow carrying about 70 Norwegian citizens willing to enlist in the Free Norwegian Forces. After receiving the necessary repairs, participated from 17 January 1942 until the hunt for the German battleship Tirpitz, held at sea in the North Sea, together with the cruisers Sheffield and Suffolk.
After another cruise patrol together with Nigeria, then returned to the base then being permanently assigned to patrol the waters between Iceland and the Faroe Islands, with tasks also escort the activities of the minelayer.
From March 3, took part along with a strong group of units of the Home Fleet to convoy escort Arctic convoy PQ12 and return QP8, arriving near the Kola Peninsula the next 12. On March 22, they sailed to return home alone carrying ten tons of gold bullion, arriving at Scapa Flow on the 29th.
In April, he was again employed in escorting a convoy distance the Arctic, this time also composed of units of the U.S. Navy. In June, it was decided to participate in ‘Operation Harpoon, a vital rescue mission to the island of Malta, which resulted in the so-called battle of mid-June.
On June 11, it reached Gibraltar along with the battleship Malaya, the aircraft carrier Argus and Eagle, and the cruisers Liverpool, Charybdis, and eight destroyers. In addition to these units, called “Force W”, also the “Force X” group, including the Cairo and nine destroyers, was in charge of escorting the convoy to Malta.
On June 14, the ships were attacked violently by aviation Italian and German, and Liverpool was forced to return to Gibraltar in tow. On June 18, he returned to Gibraltar without having suffered any damage, then returned home to resume his duties in the Home Fleet. After a few weeks of service in Iceland, the ship was re-designated to participate in escorting a convoy of new supplies and weapons to Malta called Operation Pedestal.
Arriving in Gibraltar along with a strong escort composed of units of Force H, X, and Z, August 10 began the cruise to the Strait of Sicily as the lead ship of the right column. Began the day after the violent attacks of aeronautics and MAS Axis, which sank the carrier Eagle.
The convoy was also attacked by a group of about ten Italian submarines, which sank the cruiser Cairo and forced Nigeria to return to Gibraltar, leaving Kenya to the task of defending merchant ships. On August 12, was hit in the bow by a torpedo launched from the submarine Alagi but managed to stay operational.
The next day, the cruiser Manchester was also sunk, while a falling bomb aft slightly damaged one of the propellers. On 14 August, he was again damaged by a bomb in a light exploded in the water close to the hull, leading finally to come to Gibraltar on 15 underwent temporary repairs before returning home.
Arrived at Scapa Flow on August 25 after losing temporary structures at sea bow, he entered the civil construction site in South Shields for final repairs. During the proceedings, which lasted until December 1942, the most modern radar for the Type 282 and Type 285 fire control for the anti-aircraft weapons was removed onboard the aircraft and its crane. The defenses antisera were also further increased with the installation of six new Oerlikon guns. In January 1943, it was finally decided to transfer the units to the Eastern Fleet.
The Eastern Fleet - 1943-45
After the necessary work, set sail on March 12, heading to Gibraltar with a convoy departing. On 22 occasions, the sea escorted a convoy from Freetown to Cape Town. The convoy escort, called WS28 and directed to the Middle East carrying troops and supplies, was also composed of destroyer Quadrant and Redoubt.
On April 25, after having escorted the ships between transport even in ‘The Indian Ocean, took service with the Eastern Fleet in Kilindini, Kenya. After brief maintenance work, sailed directly to Durban to escort a convoy to return to Kenya.
On June 18, he set sail again to live in Colombo, the island of Ceylon, and was then assigned to the main base of the fleet in Trincomalee. In the summer months, he took part in patrols in the Indian Ocean and exercises with other units of the fleet, as well as escorting convoys from the UK and the U.S. After a short transfer to Bombay in the early days of November, he returned to the base of Trincomalee, where he remained until early 1944.
In February of the new year, I came into the yard in Simon’s Town for a refit, receiving, during the work, two additional 20 mm anti-aircraft machine guns for defense at short range.
Back in service in mid-April, it was used with escort duties and exercises until May 6, when set to “Force 65″, consisting of the battleships Queen Elizabeth and Valiant, the French Richelieu, from the cruiser and Dutch Tromop six destroyers, some of them belonging to the Royal Australian Navy, was used to escort the aircraft carrier Illustrious and USS Saratoga, engaged in the bombing of Surabaya. After completion of the mission, on May 27, he returned to Ceylon.
In this period, it became apparent scarcity of oil supply British, which resulted in a slowdown of operations. From June 19 took part in the bombing of the Andaman Islands, called Operation Pedal and maintained only by the Illustrious. From July 4th, 100 Indian soldiers moved on ‘Addu Atoll. From July 22, took part in the bombardment of Sabang, carried out by both naval aircraft and escort ships. The 25 attacked the radio station on the island of Pulo. We also hired the Japanese shore batteries.
In August, escorted the battleship Howe for the last part of the cruise to Colombo. The unit was being transferred to the Far East in view of the formation of the British Pacific Fleet. During the U.S. operations in New Guinea, participated from 19 August in a diversionary bombing in Padang and Emmerhaven.
From September 14, it was used in a new bombing mission, the objectives of which were on the island of Sumatra and the railroad in Sigli. Since September 25, he was instead used in submarine support ship escort to transfer to Maidstone in Fremantle, where he arrived on October 3.
After a new escort mission, he entered the yard in Colombo, remaining dino on 8th November. With the birth of the Pacific Fleet, Kenya was reassigned to the 5th Squadron Fleet Cruiser Easter. In December, escorted the Commander in Chief of the fleet visit to forward bases in Burma, and therefore comes to Calcutta on the 20th of the month.
From 5 January 1945, he took part in landing exercises carried out by Royal Marines on board. When preparations are complete, leaned from 26 landings on the island of Cheduba, resting two days after the landings in Ramree. Complete, Jan.
31 shooting on board the Royal Marines doing route to Ceylon. From February 22, I took part in a mission to Ricognozione Air in the Andaman Sea along with the escort carriers Ameer and Empress, as well as three destroyers and three frigates.
On March 1, the naval group was made the object of attack aircraft, rejected by the helicopter on board. Two weeks later, I gave support to the landings on the island of Letpan, and it was decided to return the unit to home via Durban and the Cape of Good Hope. On April 23, he sailed from South Africa after having boarded a cargo of gold, arriving at Sheerness on 13 May, five days after the end of the war in Europe.
The ship was then prepared for a long series of works on the construction of Chatham, where they landed all the ammunition on board. On June 6, the ship then entered the yard, where he remained until April 1946. During the work, the machine guns were replaced by 20 mm with 40 mm Bofors guns.
The postwar period
Back in service after a few months of stay in Malta, she was assigned to the 8th Squadron cruisers stationed in Bermuda, where he arrived in December. During 1947, the unit was utilized in a series of cruises and joint training missions, touching ‘Honduras, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico, and Brazil.
Later, he also visited ‘Alaska, the east coast of the United States, and Mexico. In October, with the return to Bermuda, it was decided to move the ship into reserve within the program to reduce the fleet in active service. Came to Chatham in November, the boat remained inactive until the early months of 1949, when it was subjected to a cycle of works before returning to active duty to replace the London Far East.
Sailed in October, spent the Christmas, and embarked for Malta in Suez Ernest Bevin, the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, directed to Ceylon for a conference of ministers of the Commonwealth. The first months of 1950 were employed in exercises and visits to Singapore and Hong Kong.
The outbreak of the Korean War forced the Royal Navy to send a naval force into the area to participate in United Nations operations, composed not only by Kenya itself but also the light cruisers Belfast and Jamaica. Since July, the unit, based in Sasebo, Japan, participated in patrols of the Korean waters, also supporting the landings at Inchon in September. At the end of the year, I took part in the evacuation of South Korean troops from the peninsula of Chinnampo.
In January 1951, it supported the evacuation of Inchon, while in March, it was used in the Yellow Sea, bombarding North Korean positions in support of ground troops. Often, the ship was used as the basis for short raids behind enemy lines to obtain information about potential targets.
After a bye week in June, it was used again in the bombing of Wonsan on the east coast of Korea. In August, Kenya was withdrawn from the area of operations for refitting work in Singapore and was replaced by Mauritius. Early in 1952, after visiting ‘India and Pakistan, it was expected that the unit would escort King George VI during a visit to the various nations of the Commonwealth, but after the death of the sovereign, the ship returned to Ceylon.
After a series of visits to the islands of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, I took part in an exercise of SEATO. After a cruise along the African coast, was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet in October, taking part on December 22 following the rescue operations at the merchant SS Champollion aground off the coast of Beirut. Back in Portsmouth on February 23, 1953, he was again transferred to reserves in Rosyth.
The unit was again called to service in August 1955, and was re-assigned to Bermuda, where he participated in a joint exercise with the U.S. Navy. Following the ship’s crew, teams helped the island’s government to maintain public order following violent protests erupted in the country.
In the first months of the following year, he visited many ports in the eastern United States. He was then transferred to the South Atlantic Station, where he remained until July, when it was decided it further moved to the Mediterranean to replace Birmingham as a flagship of the fleet.
During the trip, the transfer took place the nationalization of the Suez Canal as part of ‘Egypt, which forced the ship to stay in Aden, waiting for a response from the UK. Deployed in the Persian Gulf, reinforced the garrisons of Durban and Bahrain. Despite the action planned landing at Suez, on October 16, the unit was ordered to return home via Cape Town. On November 19, it was decided the classification of the ship in the Home Fleet, after which the unit entered the pipeline for modernization work.
In 1957, he took part in joint exercises with the Mediterranean Fleet after visiting Lisbon and Turkey, then taking part in NATO exercises. Between August and September, he visited Sicily and various ports of the ‘Adriatic, then entered the pipeline to Malta for work that lasted until the end of the year.
After further training missions in the Mediterranean and the North Sea, Kenya was withdrawn from active service for the last time on July 24, 1958. Until 1961, the ship remained in reserve, being stripped of all reusable materials and equipment on other units. Sold to BISCO for demolition, ship guise at Faslane, at the premises of shipbreaking Industries, October 29, 1962.