East Africa Station

East Africa Command
Active 1862–1962
Country United Kingdom
Allegiance British Empire
Branch Royal Navy
Part of
  • East Indies Station (1862-1918)
  • Cape of Good Hope Station (1918-1938)
  • East Indies Station (1939-1941)
  • Eastern Fleet Command (1942-1945)
  • East Indies Station (1945-1958)
Garrison/HQ HMS Tana (RN base, Kilindini, Mombasa, Kenya, (1914–1945)

The East Africa Station and originally known as East Coast of Africa Station (1862–1919) was a military unit of the British Royal Navy administered by the Flag Officer, East Africa and initially a sub-command of the East Indies Station then later Eastern Fleet from 1862 to 1962.

History

During the 1850s and 1860s the British Royal Navy was operating in the Indian Ocean off the coast of East Africa fighting to suppress the Eastern Slave trade operating out of Zanzibar up to the North Coast of the Arabian Sea.[1] Between 1862 and 1872 the British established an East Africa Squadron [2] as part of the East Indies Station. In 1873 treaties were signed between Great Britain and the Sultanates of Muscat and Oman and Zanzibar allowing for a permanent naval presence on the Zanzibar coast.[3] However Britain's real intentions in East Africa was to stop other European naval powers from establishing any similar bases in the region, the stations purpose was to protect British trade interests passing through the Western Indian Ocean area.[4] In the early twentieth century HMNB Zanizibar was primarily used as a coaling station.[5] Prior to the advent of World War I British naval operations were gradually scaled down.

The East Coast of Africa Station' was re-established in 1914 within the British East Africa Protectorate as a sub-command of the East Indies Station.[6] The East Africa Station eventually consisted of two Royal Navy bases one in Tanganyika and the other at Zanzibar. Its principal role was to protect British commerce from German surface raiders – then seen as priority between 1914–1915.[7]. The command existed until 1918, when the Cape of Good Hope Station was assigned the duties of the East Coast of Africa command. During the inter-war period the command was scaled down to non-operational status.

The Kilidini (Kenya) station was re-established to operational status in September 1939 at the start of World War II, while Kenya was a British colony. Kilindini became the temporary command base of the British Eastern Fleet from early 1942 until the Japanese naval threat to Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) had subsided by January 1945.[8] Reserve units serving under this command included the Tanganyika Naval Volunteer Force and the Zanzibar Naval Volunteer Force.[9] Following World War II the station became the main headquarters for the Royal East African Navy from 1952 to 1962.

Administration

World War I

RankInsigNameTermNotes/Ref
Naval Officer-in-Charge, Zanzibar
1CommanderOswald C. M. Barry20 November, 1918–1919[10] (later Captain).

Senior Naval Officer, Tanganyika

RankInsigNameTermNotes/Ref
Senior Naval Officer, Tanganyika
1Lieutenant-CommanderLeonard Spain12 September, 1918 – April 1919[11]

Officer Commanding, RNAS East Indies Naval Air Station.

RankInsigNameTermNotes/Ref
Officer Commanding, RNAS East Indies Naval Air Station
1CommanderRobert GordonJanuary, 1915– September 1915

World War II

Senior British Naval Officer, Kilindini (Kenya)

RankInsigNameTermNotes/Ref
Senior British Naval Officer, Kilindini (Kenya)
1CommanderD. E. Blunt (retd)1 September 1939 – April 1942[12]

Flag Officer, East Africa and Admiral Superintendent, H.M. Dockyard, Kilindini

RankFlagNameTermNotes/Ref
Flag Officer, East Africa
1Rear-AdmiralPeter ReidApril 1942 – October 1942[13]
2CommodoreCharles G. StuartOctober 1942 – 8 February, 1943
3Rear-AdmiralCharles G. Stuart8 February, 1943 – 11 January 1944.[14]
4Rear-AdmiralRichard Shelly Benyon11 January 1944 - November 1944[15]
5CommodoreSir Philip BowyerNovember 1944 - 1945

Commodore, Naval Air Stations, East Africa

RankFlagNameTermNotes/Ref
Commodore, Naval Air Stations, East Africa
1Rear-AdmiralF. Elliott19 August 1943 – 1 January 1945[16]

Air units in this command

Various units that served in this command included:

UnitsDateNotes
RNAS Kilidini1942-44Station name: HMS Kipanga
RNAS Mackinnon Road1942-44Station name: HMS Tana Kipanga II
RAF Port Reitz1942-44used by the Fleet Air Arm as a land base of the BEF

Various units that served in this command included:[17]

UnitsDateNotes
3 cruisers, 2 monitors, AMC1915allocated to East Africa
4 cruisers, 2 AMC's, 2 monitors, 1 kite balloon ship1916ditto
3 cruisers, 2 monitors, 1 AMC, 1 sloop, 1 gunboat1917ditto
4th Cruiser Squadron1942as part of Eastern Fleet transferred to Kilidini
Tanganyika Naval Volunteer Force1939–1942minesweeping, coast watching and coastal patrol duties and manning of signal stations[18]
Zanzibar Naval Volunteer Force1939–1942ditto
Eastern FleetApril 1942 – November 1943The full fleet transferred here from Ceylon inc CINC Eastern Fleet[19]
East African Naval Force1942 – 13 May 1952formed from the merger of TNVF and ZNVF into one command [20]
Royal East African Navy13 May 1952 - 1962EANF renamed in May 1952 [21]

References

  1. ↑ Howell, Raymond (1987). The Royal Navy and the slave trade. London: Croom Helm. p. 119. ISBN 9780709947707.
  2. ↑ Society, the Church Missionary. "The slave trade of east Africa". wikisource.org. The Church Missionary Society, 1869. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  3. ↑ "Sudans Twentyyear Refugee Dilemma". The International Journal of African Historical Studies. Africana Publishing Company. 21 (1–2): 184.
  4. ↑ Davis, Paul. "The Frere mission to Zanzibar". www.pdavis.nl. P. L. Davis, 2010–2018. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  5. ↑ Hazell's Annual. Aylesbury, England: Hazell, Watson & Viney. 1905. p. 74.
  6. ↑ Friedman, Norman (2014). Fighting the Great War at Sea: Strategy, Tactic and Technology. Barnsley, England: Seaforth Publishing. p. 121. ISBN 9781848321892.
  7. ↑ Watson, Dr Graham. "Royal Navy Organisation and Ship Deployment, Inter-War Years 1914–1918". naval-history.net. Gordon Smith, 27 October 2015. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  8. ↑ Argyle, C.J. (1976). Japan at war, 1937–45. London: A. Barker. p. 111. ISBN 9780213165864.
  9. ↑ Navy List Quarterly Volume 1. H.M. Stationary Office. January 1945. p. 352.
  10. ↑ The Navy List. London, England: H.M Stationary Office. May 1919. p. 877.
  11. ↑ The Navy List: Supplement. London, England: H.M. Stationary Office. April 1919. p. 9.
  12. ↑ "Flag Officers in Commission etc.". The Navy List. London, England: H. M. Stationary Office. August 1940. p. 874.
  13. ↑ Kindell, Don. "Eastern Fleet, Admiralty War Diary 1942". www.naval-history.net. Gordon Smith, 14 July 2011. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  14. ↑ Wells, Anne Sharp (2000). The Anglo-American "special relationship" during the Second World War : a selective guide to materials in the British Library. [London]: Eccles Centre for American Studies, The British Library. p. 25. ISBN 0712344268.
  15. ↑ Houterman, J.N. "Royal Navy (RN) Officers 1939-1945 - S:". unithistories.com. Houterman and Kloppes. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  16. ↑ The navy list. London, England: London : His Majesty's Stationery Office. 1944. pp. 2182–2183.
  17. ↑ Watson, Dr Graham. "Royal Navy Organisation and Ship Deployment, Inter-War Years 1914–1918". www.naval-history.net. Gordon Smith, 27 October 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  18. ↑ "TANGANYIKA'S NAVY, C. 19 OCTOBER 1944". Imperial War Museums. Imperial War Museum, UK. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  19. ↑ Puddefoot, Geoff (2010). Ready For Anything: The Royal Fleet Auxiliary 1905–1950. Barnsley, England: Seaforth Publishing. p. 129. ISBN 9781848320741.
  20. ↑ Page, Malcolm (2011). King's African Rifles: A History. Pen and Sword. p. 264. ISBN 9780850525380.
  21. ↑ Page, Malcolm (2011). King's African Rifles: A History. Pen and Sword. p. 264. ISBN 9780850525380.

Sources

  • Argyle, C.J. (1976). Japan at war, 1937-45. London: A. Barker. ISBN 9780213165864.
  • Friedman, Norman (2014). Fighting the Great War at Sea: Strategy, Tactic and Technology. Barnsley, England: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 9781848321892.
  • Hazell's Annual. Aylesbury, England: Hazell, Watson & Viney. 1905.
  • Houterman, J.N. "Royal Navy (RN) Officers 1939–1945 – S:". unithistories.com. Houterman and Kloppes.
  • Howell, Raymond (1987). The Royal Navy and the slave trade. London: Croom Helm. ISBN 9780709947707.
  • Navy List (1945), Quarterly Volume 1. H.M. Stationary Office.
  • Sudans Twentyyear Refugee Dilemma". The International Journal of African Historical Studies. Africana Publishing Company. 21 (1–2): 184.
  • The navy list. (1944), London, England: London : Her Majesty's Stationery Office.
  • Watson, Dr Graham. (2015) "Royal Navy Organisation and Ship Deployment, Inter-War Years 1914–1918". naval-history.net. Gordon Smith.
  • Wells, Anne Sharp (2000). The Anglo-American "special relationship" during the Second World War : a selective guide to materials in the British Library. [London]: Eccles Centre for American Studies, The British Library. ISBN 0712344268.
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