British Eastern Fleet
The British
Eastern Fleet (also known as the
East Indies Fleet and the
Far East Fleet) was a
fleet of the
Royal Navy during
World War II and post war until
1971. During World War II It operated in the
Indian Ocean and was based in
Trincomalee in
Ceylon. Post War it operated in all Far East Areas including parts of the Pacific.
Ships attached to the Eastern Fleet include:
*
HMS Hermes - Sunk
9 April 1942*
HMS Victorious*
HMS Illustrious*
HMS Indomitable*
HMS Newcastle*
HMS Prince of Wales - Sunk
10 December 1941*
HMS Repulse - Sunk
10 December 1941*
HMS Electra - Sunk
27 February 1942*
HMS Express*
HMS Cornwall - Sunk
5 April 1942*
HMS Dorsetshire - Sunk
5 April 1942*
HMAS Vampire - Sunk
9 April 1942*
HMS Adamant (F64) - Submarine Depot Ship
The
USS Saratoga also served with the Eastern Fleet.
Before the
fall of Singapore, the naval base there was part of the
British Far East Command. Admiral Sir
Geoffrey Layton was appointed to command the Eastern Fleet there following the
sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse. He then retreated to
Java. Following the
Fall of Singapore, he handed over command to Admiral Sir
James Somerville.
Following the
Japanese capture of the
Andaman Islands, the main elements of the Fleet retreated to
Addu Atoll in
Maldives. Then, following
Chuichi Nagumo's
Indian Ocean raid in early
1942, the Fleet moved its operational base to
Kilindini near
Mombasa in
Kenya, as their more forward fleet anchorages could not be adequately protected from Japanese attack. 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 powerful ships. From May 1942, it was also used in the
invasion of Madagascar, an operation aimed at thwarting any attempt by Japan to use bases on the
Vichy French controlled territory.
During late
1944, as more British
aircraft carriers came into the area, a series of strikes were flown against oil targets in
Sumatra to prepare British carriers for the upcoming operations in the
Pacific. The USS
Saratoga was lent for the first attack by the
United States. The oil installations were heavily damaged by the attacks, aggravating the Japanese fuel shortages due to the American
blockade. The final attack was flown as the carriers were heading for
Sydney, Australia, to become the British Pacific Fleet.
After the departure of the main battle forces, the Indian Ocean was left with
escort carriers and older
battleships as the mainstay of its naval forces. Nevertheless, during those months, important operations were launched in the
recapture of Burma, including landings on
Ramree Island and
Akyab and near
Rangoon.
*
South-East Asian Theatre of World War II#Indian OceanDetails of Far East Fleet Composition in the 1960s
