| East Indies Fleet | |
|---|---|
 HMS Renown in 1944 with other Eastern Fleet ships | |
| Active | 1941–1952 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Type | Fleet |
| Garrison/HQ | Trincomalee Naval Base, Ceylon Singapore Naval Base (postwar) |
| Engagements | Loss of Prince of Wales and Repulse Indian Ocean raid Battle of Madagascar Operation Dukedom Operation Livery |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | James Somerville Bruce Fraser |
The Eastern Fleet, later called the East Indies Fleet, was a fleet of the Royal Navy which existed between 1941 and 1952.
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.[1]
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.[2] 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.
- ^ Jackson, p. 289
- ^ Hobbs, David. "THE BRITISH PACIFIC FLEET IN 1945 A Commonwealth effort and a remarkable achievement" (PDF). navy.gov.au. Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 18 July 2018.