East Indies Fleet
East Indies Fleet | |
---|---|
James Somerville Bruce Fraser |
The Eastern Fleet, later called the East Indies Fleet, was a fleet of the Royal Navy which existed between 1941 and 1952.
In 1904, the British
During the war, it included many ships and personnel from other navies, including those of the
Background
Until the Second World War, the Indian Ocean had been a British "lake". It was ringed by significant British and Commonwealth possessions and much of the strategic supplies needed in peace and war had to pass across it: i.e. Persian oil, Malayan rubber, Indian tea, Australian and New Zealand foodstuffs. Britain also used Australian and New Zealand manpower; hence, safe passage for British cargo ships was critical.[3]
At the outbreak of war,
This threat became a reality during the
We were at the time literally hanging on by our eye-lids! Australia and India were threatened by the Japanese, we had temporarily lost control of the Indian Ocean, the Germans were threatening Iran and our oil, Auchinleck was in precarious straits in the desert, and the submarine sinkings were heavy.
Early war years
Until 1941, the main threat to British interests in the region was the presence of German
On 10 June 1940, the entry of Italy into the war introduced a new threat to the oil supply routes from the
The Italian naval forces in
Singapore
Before the
After the
After the sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse, Admiral Sir Geoffrey Layton assumed command of the Eastern Fleet. The fleet withdrew first to Java and, following the fall of Singapore, to Trincomalee, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).
Indian Ocean retreat
Roskill writes in the War at Sea, Vol. II that:[13]
Admiral
Somerville arrived at Colombo on the 26th of [March 1942], and he then took over command of the Eastern Fleet from Admiral Layton. His fleet consisted of the two large carriers Indomitable and Formidable, the small carrier HMS Hermes, the battleships Warspite (recently returned from repairing battle damage received off Crete in America), Resolution, Ramillies, Royal Sovereign and Revenge, two heavy and five light cruisers (including the Dutch Heemskerck), sixteen destroyers and seven submarines.
On 31 March Somerville decided to divide the Fleet into two: Force A and Force B.
When Admiral Somerville inspected the base at Trincomalee, its deficiencies were clear to him. He found the port inadequate, vulnerable to a determined attack, and open to spying. An isolated island base with a safe, deep anchorage in a suitably strategic position was required. Addu Atoll, southernmost of the Maldives in the Indian Ocean, 600 miles southwest of Ceylon, met the requirements and it was secretly developed as a fleet anchorage.[15]
Following the
Later, the fleet in the Indian Ocean was then gradually reduced to little more than a convoy escort force as other commitments called for the more modern, powerful ships. In May 1942, the Eastern Fleet supported the
From October 1943, the Eastern Fleet was the maritime component of South East Asia Command, including responsibilities beyond the SEAC area. The fleet reached full operational strength again by 1944. On 22 November 1944 the Eastern Fleet was split into the British Pacific Fleet, receiving the majority of the ships, and the remnant, which became known as the East Indies Fleet.[19]
Apart from the Eastern Fleet battle forces, it also included a submarine force, to hinder Japan from using sea lanes between Burma and Singapore; and a large supporting escort force, responsible for protecting convoy roues between Suez (Red Sea) and India, and between the Cape of Good Hope and India.[19]
The Eastern Fleet included, from time to time, as well as British warships, a number of warships from the British Dominions of Australia and New Zealand as well as other Allied nations, such as the French battleship Richelieu, other ships from the Free French Naval Forces, the Netherlands, and the United States.
Allied Indian Ocean strikes
After the departure of the main battle forces during February 1942, the Indian Ocean was left with mostly
Admiral King requested that, during April, the Eastern Fleet should engage Japanese forces in their area and hold them there to reduce the opposition to an American seaborne assault on
At the end of August 1944, Admiral Somerville was relieved as Commander-in-Chief Eastern Fleet by Admiral Sir
On 15–16 May 1945, the British fought the Battle of the Malacca Strait; the 26th Destroyer Flotilla (composed of Saumarez, Venus, Verulam, Vigilant and Virago) sank the Japanese heavy cruiser Haguro in the Malacca Straits using torpedoes.[21]
Eastern Fleet senior officers
Commanders-in-Chief, Eastern Fleet
Rank | Flag | Name | Term | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Admiral | Sir Tom S.V. Phillips | October – 10 December 1941 | |
2 | Vice-Admiral | Sir Geoffrey Layton | 10 December 1941 – 12 February 1942 | |
3 | Vice-Admiral | Sir James Somerville | 12 February 1942 – 6 April 1942 (promoted to Adm. | |
4 | Admiral | Sir James Somerville | 6 April 1942 – 22 August 1944 | |
5 | Admiral | Sir Bruce A. Fraser | 22 August 1944 -December 1944 – becomes C-in-C British Pacific Fleet |
Vice-Admiral Commanding, 3rd Battle Squadron & Second-in-Command, Eastern Fleet
Rank | Flag | Name | Term | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Vice Admiral | Algernon Willis | 26 February 1942 – February 1943 | |
2 | Rear-Admiral | William G. Tennant | February–October 1943 | |
3 | Vice-Admiral | Sir Arthur Power | January 1944 – November 1944 | |
4 | Vice-Admiral | Sir Harold Walker | November 1944 – 1946 |
Chief of Staff, Eastern Fleet
Rank | Flag | Name | Term | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Rear-Admiral | Arthur F. E. Palliser | December 1941 – January 1942 | |
2 | Commodore | Ralph A. B. Edwards | March 1942 – August 1944 |
Rear-Admiral, Eastern Fleet Aircraft Carriers
This officer supervised the Fleet's aircraft carriers and naval air stations.
Rank | Flag | Name | Term | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Rear-Admiral | Denis Boyd | 18 February 1941 – December 1942[27] | |
2 | Rear-Admiral | Clement Moody | 1 December 1943 – August 1944 |
Flag Officer Commanding, Red Sea and Canal Area, 1943-44
Rank | Flag | Name | Term | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Rear-Admiral | Ronald H. C. Hallifax | 18 May 1942 – 6 November 1943[28] (died in office) | |
2 | Rear-Admiral | John Waller | 6 November – 28 December 1943[28] | |
3 | Commodore | Douglas Young-Jamieson | 28 December 1943 – 31 October 1944[29] |
Flag Officer, East Africa and Admiral Superintendent, H.M. Dockyard, Kilindini
Responsible to the Commander-in-Chief, Eastern Fleet, from April 1942 to September 1943 then transferred back under the East Indies Fleet.
Rank | Flag | Name | Term | Notes/Ref | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Rear-Admiral | Peter Reid | April 1942 – October 1942 | ||
2 | Commodore | Charles G. Stuart | October 1942 – September, 1943 |
With the Flag Officer, East Africa, was the
The Senior Naval Officer, Persian Gulf was responsible for administering Royal Navy ships and establishments in the Persian Gulf. He was initially located at Basra, in Mandatory Iraq, then later at HMS Juffair in Bahrain from 1901 to 1972. His command was part of the East Indies Station, then the Eastern Fleet, then the East Indies Fleet.[19]
There were also Naval Officers-in-Charge at Basra and for the Hormuz.
Flag Officer, Malaya
The
Included:[28]
- Naval Officer-in-Charge, Chittagong
- Naval Officer-in-Charge, Seychelles
- Naval Officer-in-Charge, Diego Suarez
- Naval Officer-in-Charge, Trincomalee
East Indies Fleet senior officers
Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Fleet
Rank | Flag | Name | Term | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Admiral | Sir Arthur J. Power | November 1944 – December 1945[31] | |
2 | Vice-Admiral | Sir Clement Moody | 15 December 1945 – 8 March 1946[32] | |
2 | Vice-Admiral | Sir Denis Boyd | March 1946 – January 1948 | |
3 | Admiral | Sir Denis Boyd | January 1948 – January 1949[33] | |
4 | Vice-Admiral | Sir Patrick Brind | January 1949 – February 1951 | |
5 | Vice-Admiral | Sir Guy Russell | February 1951 – January 1952 |
Rear-Admiral, Commanding, 5th Cruiser Squadron and Second-in-Command, East Indies Fleet/Far East Fleet
Rank | Flag | Name | Term | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Rear-Admiral | Alexander Madden | 1948 – 1950[34][full citation needed] | |
2 | Rear-Admiral | William Andrewes | 17 December 1950 – October 1951[35] | |
3 | Rear-Admiral | Eric Clifford CB | circa 1953 [citation needed] | |
4 | Rear-Admiral | Gerald Gladstone | 1953 – 1955[36][full citation needed] |
Chief of Staff, East Indies Fleet
Rank | Flag | Name | Term | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Commodore | Edward M. Evans-Lombe | August 1944 – October 1944 | |
2 | Rear-Admiral | Edward M. Evans-Lombe | October 1944 – March 1946 | |
3 | Commodore | Stephen H. Carlill | March 1946 – August 1948 | |
4 | Commodore | Geoffrey F. Burghard | August 1948 – September 1950 | |
5 | Captain | Ralph L. Fisher | September 1950 – January 1952 |
Flag Officer, (Air), East Indies Fleet
This officer commanded the aircraft carriers and the naval air stations.
Rank | Flag | Name | Term | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Rear-Admiral | Clement Moody | August 1944 – November 1944 | |
2 | Rear-Admiral | Reginald H. Portal |
November 1944 – March 1946 | |
3 | Rear-Admiral | Charles H.L. Woodhouse | March – July 1946 | |
4 | Rear-Admiral | Robin Bridge | July 1946 – February 1947 | |
5 | Vice-Admiral | George Creasy | February 1947 – 1948 |
Commodore (D), Commanding, Destroyer Flotillas, Eastern Fleet (and later East Indies Fleet)
Rank | Flag | Name | Term | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Commodore | S. H. T. Harliss | 9 June 1942 – December 1942[28] | |
2 | Commodore | Albert. L. Poland | April 1944 – October 1944[38] | |
3 | Commodore | Stephen H. Carlill | March 1946 – August 1948 | |
4 | Commodore | Geoffrey F. Burghard | August 1948 – September 1950 |
Flag Officer, Ceylon, 1942-46
Rank | Flag | Name | Term | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Rear-Admiral | Arthur Read | 14 May 1942 – August 1943 | |
2 | Rear-Admiral | Victor Danckwerts |
August 1943 – March 1944, (died in office) | |
3 | Rear-Admiral | Gresham Nicholson | March 1944 – 1945 | |
4 | Rear-Admiral | John Mansfield | 1945 -10 April 1946 |
The Royal Indian Navy came under the command of the Commander-in-Chief, East Indies, on the outbreak of the Second World War and reverted to a separate command after the Japanese surrender.
Rank | Flag | Name | Term | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Vice-Admiral | Sir Herbert Fitzherbert | December 1941 -22 March 1943 | |
2 | Vice-Admiral | John Henry Godfrey | 22 March 1943 – 15 March 1946 |
In addition to the Vice-Admiral commanding, Rear-Admiral Oliver Bevir served as Senior Officer, Royal Naval Establishments, India, from June 1944 to July 1945.[38]
Flag Officer, Malaya and Forward Areas
Units that served in the two fleets included:[40][41]
Naval Units | Based at | Date | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Force A | Trincomalee | March 1942 to June 1942 | |
Force B | Trincomalee/Kilidini | March 1942 to June 1942 | |
21st Aircraft Carrier Squadron | Trincomalee | March 1945 – December 1945 | |
1st Battle Squadron | Trincomalee | March 1942 to 1942 | |
3rd Battle Squadron | Trincomalee | January 1942 to December 1945 | |
4th Cruiser Squadron | Trincomalee then Singapore Naval Base | December 1947 to July 1954 | |
5th Cruiser Squadron | Trincomalee then Singapore Naval Base | January 1942 – May 1960 | |
2nd Destroyer Flotilla | Trincomalee | February 1942 to June 1943 | |
4th Destroyer Flotilla | Trincomalee | April 1943 to November 1944 | |
6th Destroyer Flotilla | Trincomalee | June 1945 – | |
7th Destroyer Flotilla | Trincomalee | January 1942 to April 1945 | |
8th Destroyer Flotilla | Singapore | 1947 to July 1951 | re-designated 8th DSQ |
11th Destroyer Flotilla | Trincomalee | February 1943 – 1945 | transferred from Med Fleet |
24th Destroyer Flotilla | Trincomalee | January to May 1945 | |
26th Destroyer Flotilla | Trincomalee | January 1945 | |
1st Destroyer Squadron | Singapore | 1950 to April 1960 | |
8th Destroyer Squadron | Singapore | July 1951 – May 1963 | renamed 24th ESQ |
1st Escort Flotilla | Singapore | 1946 to 1954 | |
4th Frigate Squadron | Singapore | January 1949 to August 1954 | |
6th Minesweeper Flotilla | Trincomalee | January 1945 to July 1947 | transferred to Singapore |
6th Minesweeper Flotilla | Singapore | August 1947 to 1951 | placed in reserve |
6th Minesweeper Squadron | Singapore | 1951 to June 1954 | new formation |
7th Minesweeper Flotilla | Trincomalee | February 1945 | |
2nd Submarine Flotilla | Trincomalee | January 1945 | |
4th Submarine Division | Sydney | May to October 1949 | |
4th Submarine Flotilla | Trincomalee | January 1942 to October 1947 | |
4th Submarine Flotilla | Singapore | October 1947 to December 1948 | |
6th Submarine Flotilla | Trincomalee | February to August 1944 | |
2nd Submarine Flotilla | Trincomalee | January 1945 | |
4th Submarine Flotilla | Trincomalee then Singapore | January 1942 to October 1947 | |
6th Submarine Flotilla | Trincomalee | February to August 1944 | |
Persian Gulf Division |
Juffair Naval Base |
January 1942 to January 1954 | |
Red Sea Division |
Aden Naval Base | February 1942 to January 1954 | |
60th Escort Group | Trincomalee | January to May 1945 | 11 ships |
Aden-Bombay-Colombo Groups | Aden/Bombay/Colombo | 4 February 1944 to January 1945 | ABC 30 escorts |
Aden Escort Forces | Aden | 4 February 1944 to January 1945 | 15 escorts |
Ceylon Escort Forces | Colombo | 9 January 1943 to 4 February 1944 | 10 escorts |
Kilidini Escort Forces |
Kilidini | 4 February 1944 to January 1945 | 8 escorts |
Kilidini Escort Forces |
Kilidini | January to May 1945 | 14 ships |
Royal Indian Navy Escort Forces | Bombay | 4 February 1944 to January 1945 | 8 escorts |
Notes
- ^ Jackson, p. 289
- ^ Hobbs, David. "THE BRITISH PACIFIC FLEET IN 1945 A Commonwealth effort and a remarkable achievement" (PDF). navy.gov.au. Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
- ^ Chew, Emrys (25 October 2007). "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Indian Ocean and the Maritime Balance of Power in Historical Perspective" (PDF). S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
- ^ "Pearl Harbor Attack CINCPAC (Admiral Chester Nimitz) to CINCUS (Admiral Ernest J. King) DAMAGES SUSTAINED BY SHIPS AS A RESULT OF THE JAPANESE RAID, DECEMBER 7, 1941". 23 April 2000. Retrieved 2 September 2012 – via Hyperwar Foundation.
- ISBN 9781780227542.
- ^ Muggenthaler, p. 282–287
- ^ O'Hara, p.103
- ^ Hammerton, John, ed. (25 April 1941). "South Africans Won the Race to Addis Ababa". The War Illustrated. Vol. 4, no. 86. London: William Berry. p. 424.
- ^ Jackson, p.290
- ^ "The Intelligence Failure at Pearl Harbor". Retrieved 2 September 2012.
- ^ "L'Indochine française pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale". Archived from the original on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
- ^ Shores, et al., pp. 120–21
- ^ Stephen Roskill, War at Sea, Vol. II, p.22
- ^ Roskill, Vol. II, 25; Royal Navy in Pacific and Indian Oceans area
- ^ Stephen Roskill, War at Sea, Vol. II, p.25
- ^ Roskill, Vol. II, pp.27-28.
- ^ Roskill, Vol. II, p.29.
- ^ "Battle of Madagascar". Retrieved 2 September 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f Watson, Graham. "Royal Navy Organisation in World War 2, 1939–1945: EASTERN FLEET 1.1942-EAST INDIES FLEET 11.44-". naval-history.net. Gordon Smith, 19 September 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
- ^ a b Waters, S. D. (1956), "Chapter 23 – The New Zealand Cruisers", The Royal New Zealand Navy, The Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–1945, Wellington: Historical Publications Branch, Royal New Zealand Navy, pp. 357, 359, retrieved 2 September 2012
- ^ a b Jackson, p. 303
- ^ a b c Whitaker's Almanacks 1941 – 1971
- ^ Waters, S. D. (1956), "Appendix V – Execution By Japanese of Fleet Air Arm Officers", The Royal New Zealand Navy, The Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–1945, Wellington: Historical Publications Branch, Royal New Zealand Navy, pp. 537–538, retrieved 2 September 2012
- ^ Mackie p151–152
- ^ Mackie p 152
- ^ Mackie, p153
- ^ The Navy List. London, England: H. M. Stationery Office. December 1942. p. 1339.
- ^ The Navy List. London, England: H. M. Stationery Office. November 1944. p. 2264.
- ^ Mackie p 151–152
- ISBN 9780850528350.
- ^ Houterman, J.N. "Royal Navy (RN) Officers 1939–1945 – M". unithistories.com. Houterman and Kloppes. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
- ^ Houterman, J.N. "Royal Navy (RN) Officers 1939–1945 – B". unithistories.com. Houterman and Kloppes. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
- ^ Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
- ^ HMAS Sydney Record of Proceedings November 1953
- ^ Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
- ^ Mackie p153
- ^ a b The Navy List. London, England: H. M. Stationery Office. October 1944. p. 2263.
- ^ Watson, Graham (19 September 2015). "Royal Navy Organisation in World War 2, 1939–1945: EASTERN FLEET 1.1942-EAST INDIES FLEET 11.44-". naval-history.net. Gordon Smith. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
- ^ Watson, Graham (19 September 2015). "Royal Navy Organisation in World War 2, 1939–1945: 3.3 Indian and Pacific Oceans". naval-history.net. Gordon Smith. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
- ^ Watson, Graham (12 July 2015). "Royal Navy Organisation and Ship Deployment 1947–2013:1. ROYAL NAVY ORGANISATION AND DEPLOYMENT FROM 1947". naval-history.net. Gordon Smith. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
References
- Grove, Eric (1987). Vanguard to Trident: British Naval Policy Since World War II. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-0870215520.
- Heathcote, Tony (2002). The British Admirals of the Fleet 1734 – 1995. Pen & Sword Ltd. ISBN 0-85052-835-6.
- Hill, Richard (2000). Lewin of Greenwich. Weidenfeld Military. ISBN 978-0-304-35329-3.
- ISBN 1-85285-417-0.
- Mackie, Colin. "Royal Navy Senior Appointments from 1865" (PDF). Colin Mackie's website. Colin Mackie. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
- Muggenthaler, August Karl (1980). German Raiders of World War II. London Pan. ISBN 0-330-26204-1.
- O'Hara, Vincent (2009). Struggle for the Middle Sea: the great navies at war in the Mediterranean theater, 1940–1945. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1591146483.
- Shores, Christopher; Cull, Brian; Izawa, Yasuho (1992). Bloody Shambles: The Drift to War to the Fall of Singapore. Vol. I. London: Grub Street. ISBN 0-948817-50-X.
- Watson, Dr Graham (2015). "Royal Navy Organisation and Ship Deployment 1947-2013". www.naval-history.net. Gordon Smith.