During September and October 1941, the Royal Navy devised Operation Stonewall, to intercept U-boats which were escorting outbound blockade runners through the Bay of Biscay into the Atlantic.

Pedestal was a Royal Navy operation to escort a convoy of 14 merchant ships through the western Mediterranean to relieve and resupply the besieged island of Malta.

The convoy escort was the largest ever assembled in World War II, comprising 2 battleships, 3 aircraft carriers (Eagle, Victorious and Indomitable), 7 light cruisers (including Kenya) and 26 destroyers.

Through 11 and 12 August, it successfully fought off massed air attacks by the German Luftwaffe and the Italian Regia Aeronautica, with the loss of only 1 merchant ship and 1 destroyer.

Kenya joined the America and West Indies Station with the 8th Cruiser Squadron, based at the Royal Naval Dockyard in the Imperial fortress colony of Bermuda, in October 1946, but in December of the following year, she returned to the UK and was placed in the reserve.

The cruiser had a comprehensive modernisation in 1945–1946 [2] with new standardised, twin 40 mm light anti aircraft guns and updated surface and long-range early-warning radar and fire control for the anti-aircraft armament.

Following the war, Kenya had an extensive year long refit in 1945–1946 at Chatham with new radars and standarisation of the light anti-aircraft armament on 5 twin Mk5 Bofors and 8 single 40mm.

[4] In 1953–1955 the vessel refitted and spent a long period in reserve until August 1955[5] when she reentered service as a replacement for the cruiser Superb on the West Indian station.