The Far East Fleet (also called the Far East Station) was a fleet of the Royal Navy from 1952 to 1971.
During the Second World War, the Eastern Fleet included many ships and personnel from other navies, including the navies of the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, France and the United States. On 22 November 1944 the Eastern Fleet was re-designated East Indies fleet and continued to be based in Trincomalee. Following its re-designation its remaining ships formed the British Pacific Fleet. In December 1945 the British Pacific Fleet was disbanded and its forces were absorbed into the East Indies Fleet. In 1952 The East Indies Fleet was renamed the Far East Fleet. After the Second World War the East Indies Station continued as a separate command to the Far East until 1958. In 1971 the Far East Fleet was abolished and its remaining forces returned home, coming under the command of the new, unified, Commander-in-Chief Fleet.
Post-war After the war, the East Indies Fleet was once again based at the Singapore Naval Base. The 1st Aircraft Carrier Squadron (HMS Glory and ) arrived from the British Pacific Fleet in October 1945, and operated from Trincomalee, then Singapore, from October 1945 to October 1947. In 1952, the East Indies Fleet was redesignated the Far East Fleet. The Fleet then took part in the Malayan Emergency and the confrontation with Indonesia in the 1960s. By 1964, the fleet on station included , , , , , 17 destroyers and frigates, about ten minesweepers and five submarines.
The Flag Officer Second-in-Command Far East Fleet, for most of the postwar period a rear admiral, was based afloat, and tasked with keeping the fleet "up to the mark operationally". Some also held the appointment of Flag Officer Commanding 5th Cruiser Squadron, probably including Rear Admiral E.G.A. Clifford CB, who was flying his flag in on 12 November 1953. Meanwhile, the fleet commander, a vice admiral, ran the fleet programme and major items of administration 'including all provision for docking and maintenance' from his base in Singapore.Hill, p. 219
In the last days of the East Indies Fleet North Korea invaded South Korea in June 1950, beginning the Korean War. William Andrewes was promoted to vice admiral on 1 December 1950, and on the 17th was made commander of the 5th Cruiser Squadron and Flag Officer Second in Command Far East Fleet, flying his flag in the light cruiser . After the outbreak of the Korean War he commanded British and Commonwealth Naval Forces, with the carrier as his flagship. He had two aircraft carriers available at any one time, which he worked in eighteen-day cycles. At times he also led Task Force 91 (comprising all Blockade, Covering Force and Escort ships in Korean waters, affiliated with the United Nations Command) in 1951.
From February 1963 the remaining destroyer and frigate squadrons in the Far East Fleet were gradually amalgamated into Escort Squadrons. All had been disbanded by the end of December 1966. Those in the Far East Fleet became the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Far East Destroyer Squadrons. returned to service in June 1962 assigned to the 3rd Frigate Squadron of the Far East Fleet. She arrived at Colombo in October and was deployed in the Indian Ocean, calling at Diego Garcia and Malé, Maldives. She served with the Far East Fleet until mid-1967 before returning home to be paid off.
In November 1967 fleet senior officers supervised the final departure from Britain's beleaguered State of Aden. Rear Admiral Edward Ashmore, Flag Officer, Second-in-Command, Far East Fleet, serving as Commander Task Force 318, commanded the British warships assembled to cover the withdrawal from Aden and receive the final Royal Marine Commandos heli-evacuated from the RAF Khormaksar airfield.
The fleet was disbanded in 1971, and on 31 October 1971, the last day of the validity of the Anglo-Malayan Defence Agreement, the last Commander, Far East Fleet, Rear Admiral Anthony Troup, hauled down his flag.
Commander-in-Chief, Far East Fleet Post holders included:Whitaker's Almanacks 1941 – 1971
Rank Name Term Notes Commander-in-Chief, Far East Fleet 1 Vice-Admiral Sir Guy Russell January 1952 – March 1953 2 Vice-Admiral Sir Charles LambeMarch 1953 – April 1955 3 Vice-Admiral Sir Alan Scott-MoncrieffApril 1955 – October 1957 4 Vice-Admiral Sir Gerald GladstoneOctober 1957 – April 1960 5 Vice-Admiral Sir David LuceApril 1960 – November 1962 6 Vice-Admiral Sir Desmond DreyerNovember 1962 – January 1965 7 Vice-Admiral Sir Frank TwissJanuary 1965 – June 1967 8 Vice-Admiral Sir William O'Brien June 1967 -September 1969 9 Vice-Admiral Sir Derek EmpsonSeptember 1969 – April 1971 10 Rear-Admiral Sir Anthony TroupApril – November 1971 Rear-admiral as last commander.
Flag Officer Second-in-Command Far East Fleet Included: Rank Name Term Notes Flag Officer Second-in-Command Far East Fleet 1 Rear-Admiral Laurence DurlacherAppointed 1957. Also Flag Officer Commanding Fifth Cruiser Squadron2 Rear-Admiral Varyl Begg1958–1960 3 Rear-Admiral Michael Le Fanu1960–1961 4 Rear-Admiral John Frewen1961–1962 5 Rear-Admiral Jack Scatchard1962–1964 6 Rear-Admiral Peter Hill-Norton 1964–1966 7 Rear-Admiral Charles Mills1966–1967 8 Rear-Admiral Edward Ashmore 1967–1968 9 Rear-Admiral Anthony Griffin 1968–1969 10 Rear-Admiral Terence Lewin 1969–1970 11 Rear-Admiral David Williams 1970–1971
Chief of Staff, Far East Fleet Included:
Rank Flag Name Term Chief of Staff, Far East Fleet 1 Captain Ralph L. Fisher January – October 19522 Commodore Laurence G. DurlacherOctober 1952 – September 19543 Commodore George A. F. NorfolkSeptember 1954 – October 19565 Commodore Christopher H. HutchinsonOctober 1956 – March 19596 Rear-Admiral Ronald E. PortlockMarch 1959 – April 19617 Rear-Admiral Bryan C. DurantApril 1961 – July 19638 Rear-Admiral Francis B. P. Brayne-Nicholls July 1963 – July 19659 Rear-Admiral Dennis H. MasonJuly 1965 – December 196710 Rear-Admiral Ian D. McLaughlanDecember 1967 – February 19709 Rear-Admiral John A. Templeton-Cotill February 1970 – March 1971
Flag Officer, Malayan Area
As the Malayan Emergency developed, the Flag Officer, Malayan Area's title changed as his areas of responsibility increased.
Commodore, Amphibious Forces, Far East Fleet Commodore, Amphibious Forces, Far East (COMAFFEF) was based at HMNB Singapore from May 1965 to March 1971.
The Amphibious Warfare Squadron was established in March 1961, which was responsible to the Senior Naval Officer, Persian Gulf until August 1962. It then was reassigned to Flag Officer, Middle East, until April 1965. The squadron was then transferred to the Far East where it was renamed Amphibious Forces under the new Commodore, Amphibious Forces, Far East Fleet in May 1965. The post was discontinued in March 1971.
Incumbents included:
Rank Flag Name Term Commodore, Amphibious Forces, Far East Fleet 1 Commodore Hardress L. LloydMay 1965 - May 19662 Commodore David A. Dunbar-Nasmith May 1966 - July 19673 Commodore E. Gerard N. Mansfield July 1967 - November 1968 4 Commodore Thomas W. StockerNovember 1968 - September 19705 Commodore Derek W. NapperSeptember 1970 - March 1971
Commodore-in-Charge, Hong Kong
This officer was based at shore station HMS Tamar. He was responsible for administrating all naval establishments in Hong Kong including HMNB Hong Kong and, at times, exercised operational control over Royal Navy ships in that area.
Subordinate naval formations Units that served in the fleet included:
Naval Units Based at Date Notes5th Cruiser Squadron Trincomalee then Singapore Naval Base January 1942 – May 1960 8th Destroyer Flotilla Singapore 1947 to July 1951re-designated 8th DSQ1st Destroyer Squadron Singapore 1950 to April 1960 8th Destroyer Squadron Singapore July 1951 – May 1963 renamed 24th ESQ1st Far East Destroyer Squadron Singapore December 1966 to 1 November 1971 2nd Far East Destroyer Squadron Singapore December 1966 to 1 November 1971 3rd Far East Destroyer Squadron Singapore December 1966 to December 1970 1st Escort Flotilla Singapore 1946 to 1954 21st Escort Squadron Singapore May 1964 to December 1966 22nd Escort Squadron Singapore May 1963 to June 1964 became 29th Escort Squadron 24th Escort Squadron Singapore May 1963 to December 1966 renamed from 8th DSQ 25th Escort Squadron Singapore January 1963 to May 1964 renamed from 6th FSQ 26th Escort Squadron Singapore May 1963 to December 1966renamed from 3FSQ 29th Escort Squadron Singapore June 1964 to December 1966 30th Escort Squadron Singapore September 1964 to December 1965 3rd Frigate Squadron Singapore May 1949– 1954, January 1958 to May 1963 renamed 26th ESQ4th Frigate Squadron Singapore January 1949 to August 1954 4th Frigate Squadron Singapore January 1956 – December 1960 4th Frigate Squadron Singapore September 1961 to September 1962 5th Frigate Squadron Singapore December 1959 to December 1962 6th Frigate Squadron Singapore December 1960 to September 1961; September 1962 to January 1963Renamed 25th Escort Squadron 6th Mine Counter-Measures Squadron Singapore 1962 to 19718th Mine Counter-Measures Squadron Hong Kong 1962 to 1967 6th Minesweeper Flotilla Singapore August 1947 to 1951 placed in reserve 6th Minesweeper Squadron Singapore 1951 to June 1954 new formation 104th Minesweeper Squadron Singapore 1960 to 1962120th Minesweeper Squadron Hong Kong Naval Base 1952 to 1962 7th Submarine Division Singapore 1959 7th Submarine Squadron Singapore 1966 to 1971 Persian Gulf Division Juffair Naval Base January 1942 to January 1954Red Sea Division Aden Naval Base February 1942 to January 1954
See also South-East Asian Theatre of World War II Indian Ocean naval campaigns 1942–45 List of Eastern Fleet ships
Notes
References
Watson, Dr Graham (2015). "Royal Navy Organisation and Ship Deployment 1947-2013". www.naval-history.net. Gordon Smith.
External links Royal Navy in Pacific and Indian Oceans The Royal New Zealand Navy, Chapter 23 "The New Zealand Cruisers", Sydney David Waters, Historical Publications Branch, Wellington (Part of: The Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–1945) HMS Ceylon Details of Far East Fleet Composition in the 1960s Leading Air Mechanic Maurice Whiteing and his photographic record of HMS Indomitable with the Eastern Fleet