Far East Fleet (United Kingdom)
Naval Units Based at Date
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
8th Destroyer Flotilla Singapore 1947 to July 1951
1st Destroyer Squadron Singapore 1950 to April 1960
8th Destroyer Squadron Singapore July 1951 - May 1963
1st 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
24th Escort Squadron Singapore May 1963 to December 1966
25th Escort Squadron Singapore January 1963 to May 1964
26th Escort Squadron Singapore May 1963 to December 1966
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
4th 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
Subordinate naval formations
Units that served in the fleet included : [ 14 ] [ 15 ]
The British Eastern Fleet then later the East Indies Fleet and the Far East Fleet (also called the Far East Station) was a fleet of the Royal Navy which existed between 1941 and 1971. In 1904, the British First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir John Fisher, ordered that in the event of war the three main commands in the Far East, the East Indies Squadron, the China Station, and the Australian Squadron, should all come under one command called the Eastern Fleet based in Singapore. The Commander-in-Chief, China would then take command. During the First World War, the squadrons retained their distinct identities and 'Eastern Fleet' was used only as a general term. The three-squadron structure continued until the Second World War and the beginning of hostilities with the Empire of Japan, when the Eastern Fleet was formally constituted on 8 December 1941, amalgamating the East Indies Squadron and the China Squadron. During the war, it included many ships and personnel from other navies, including those of the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, 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 this one 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.