The cruiser was assigned to the Home Fleet and escorted convoys to and from North Russia. She briefly escorted Convoy QP 8 on the return leg from Russia in March 1942 and provided distant cover for Convoy QP 10 the following month. "Kent" attempted to rendezvous with the damaged light cruiser west of Bear Island as she returned from Murmansk in May, but "Trinidad" was sunk by German aircraft before that could happen. On 21 May the ship joined Convoy PQ 16 as part of the close escort.