East Indies Station
East Indies Station
Naval%20Ensign%20of%20United%20Kingdom.png
Active 1744-1958
Country United Kingdom
Branch Royal Navy
Type Naval Station
Part of Department of Admiralty
HQ Trincomalee, ceylon
Preceded by None
Succeeded by Arabian Seas and Persian Gulf Station

The East Indies Station was a naval station and formation the British Royal Navy commanded by the Commander-in-Chief, East Indies. It was first established in 1744. In 1831 it was unified with the China Station to create the East Indies and China Station until 1865 when that station was split up and the original commands reinstated. In 1941 its main naval forces; including the ships of East Indies Squadron were merged with the ships of the China Stations, China Squadron to create the Eastern Fleet. The East Indies Station and its shore establishments continued until disbandment in 1958 and was replaced by the Arabian Seas and Persian Gulf Station.

1) History

The East Indies Station was established as a Royal Navy command in 1744. From 1831–1865, the East Indies and the China Station were unified into a single command known as the East Indies and China Station. In 1865 the station was re-established as the East Indies and Cape of Good Hope Station; it covered the Indian Ocean (excluding the waters around the Dutch East Indies, South Africa and Australia) and included the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea until 1867 when responsibilities for the cape ceased and it was renamed back to the East Indies Station. These responsibilities did not imply territorial claims but rather that the navy would actively protect British trading interests. From 1913 the station was called the Egypt and East Indies Station until 1918. In early May 1941, the Commander-in-Chief directed forces to support the pursuit of Pinguin, the German raider that eventually sank after the Action of 8 May 1941 against HMS Cornwall.On 7 December 1941, cruisers on the station included the heavy cruisers Cornwall, Dorsetshire, and Exeter; the light cruisers Glasgow, Danae, Dauntless, Durban, Emerald and Enterprise (some sources also place the heavy cruiser Hawkins as being on station on that date, while others report her being under refit and repair in the UK between early November 1941 & May 1942), and six armed merchant cruisers. Also assigned to the station was 814 Naval Air Squadron at China Bay, Ceylon, which unit was at that time equipped with Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers. In December 1941 its main naval forces; including the ships of East Indies Squadron were merged with the ships of the China Stations, China Squadron merged to create the Eastern Fleet. The last flagship of the station, in 1957-58, was HMS Gambia. In 1958 the station closed and was replaced by the Arabian Seas and Persian Gulf Station.

2) In command

The station underwent a series of name changes throughout it existence it was called the East Indies Station (1744-1832), (1867-1913), (1917-1958)

2.1) Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station

  1. Commodore of the Blue: Curtis Barnett, (1744–1746)
  2. Commodore of the Blue: Thomas Griffin. (1746–1748)
  3. Rear Admiral of the Blue: Edward Boscawen. (1748–1750)
  4. Rear Admiral of the Red: Charles Watson, (1754–1757)
  5. Vice Admiral of the White: George Pocock, (1757–1759)
  6. Commodore of the Blue : Charles Steevens, (1760–1761)
  7. Rear Admiral of the Red: Samuel Cornish. (1761–1763)
  8. Commodore of the Blue: John Byron, (1764)
  9. Commodore of the Blue: John (later Sir John) Lindsay, (1769–1772)
  10. Rear Admiral of the Blue: Sir Robert Harland, 1st Baronet, (1771–1775)
  11. Commodore of the Blue: Edward Hughes, (1773–1777)
  12. Commodore of the Blue: Sir Edward Vernon, (1776–1780)
  13. Rear Admiral of the Blue: Sir Edward Hughes, (1780–1784)
  14. Vice Admiral of the Blue: Sir Hyde Parker, 5th Baronet, (1782)
  15. Commodore of the Blue: Andrew Mitchell, (1784–1785)
  16. Commodore of the Blue: William Cornwallis, (1788–1794)
  17. Commodore of the Blue: Peter Rainier, (1794–1795)
  18. Vice Admiral of the Blue: Sir George Keith Elphinstone, (1795-1803)
  19. Rear Admiral of the Red: Sir Edward Pellew, 1st Baronet, (1804–1809)
  20. Rear Admiral of the White: Sir Thomas Troubridge, 1st Baronet, (1805–1807
  21. Rear Admiral of the Red: William O'Bryen Drury, (1809–1811)
  22. Vice Admiral of the White: Sir Samuel Hood, 1st Baronet, (1811–1814)
  23. Commodore of the Blue: George Sayer, (1814)
  24. Rear Admiral of the White: Sir Richard King, 2nd Baronet, (1816–1820)
  25. Rear Admiral of the Blue: Sir Henry Blackwood, 1st Baronet, (1820–1822)
  26. Commodore of the Blue: Charles Grant, (1822–1824)
  27. Commodore of the Blue: Sir James Brisbane, (1825–1826)
  28. Rear Admiral of the White: Joseph Bingham, (1825)
  29. Rear Admiral of the Red: William Hall Gage, (1825–1829)
  30. Rear Admiral of the Blue: Edward Owen, (1829–1832)

2.2) Commander-in-Chief, East Indies & Cape of Good Hope Station

  1. Commodore: Frederick Montresor, (1865)
  2. Commodore: Charles Hillyar, (1865–1867)

2.3) Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station

  1. Rear-Admiral: Leopold Heath, (1867–1870)
  2. Rear-Admiral: James Cockburn, (1870–1872)
  3. Rear-Admiral: Arthur Cumming, (1872–1875
  4. Rear-Admiral: Reginald Macdonald, (1875–1877)
  5. Rear-Admiral: John Corbett, (1877–1879)
  6. Rear-Admiral : William Gore Jones, (1879–1882)
  7. Rear-Admiral: William Hewett, (1882–1885)
  8. Rear-Admiral: Frederick Richards, (1885–1888)
  9. Rear-Admiral: Edmund Fremantle, (1888–1891)
  10. Rear-Admiral: Frederick Robinson,(1891–1892)
  11. Rear-Admiral: William Kennedy, (1892–1895)
  12. Rear-Admiral: Edmund Drummond, (1895–1898)
  13. Rear-Admiral: Archibald Douglas, (1898–1899)
  14. Rear-Admiral: Day Bosanquet, (1899–1902)
  15. Rear-Admiral: Charles Drury, (1902–1903)[53]
  16. Rear-Admiral: George Atkinson-Willes, (1903–1905)
  17. Rear-Admiral: Edmund Poë, (1905–1907)
  18. Rear-Admiral: Sir George Warrender , 1907–1909)
  19. Rear-Admiral: Edmond Slade, (1909–1912)
  20. Rear-Admiral: Alexander Bethell, (1912-1913)

3) Bases and dockyards

The East Indies Station had bases and dockyards at

4) Sources

#https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Indies_Station

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