East Indies Fleet

Eastern Fleet (1941–44) East Indies Fleet (1944–52) Far East Fleet (1952–71)
HMS Renown in 1944 with other Eastern Fleet ships
Active	1941–1971
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Navy
Type	Fleet
Garrison/HQ	Trincomalee, Ceylon Singapore (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 British Eastern Fleet (also known after 1944 as the East Indies Fleet and the Far East Fleet) was a fleet of the Royal Navy which existed between 1941 and 1971.

In 1904, the British First Sea Lord, Sir John Fisher, ordered that in the event of war the three main commands in the Far East, the East Indies Squadron, the China Squadron, and the Australian Squadron, should all come under one command called the Eastern Fleet based in Singapore. The Commander-in-Chief on the China Station 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. With the creation of the British Pacific Fleet in 1944, the Eastern Fleet became the East Indies Fleet until the end of the war, when it became the Far East Fleet and operated in all Far East areas, including parts of the Pacific Ocean.

Until the Second World War, the Indian Ocean had been a British "lake". It was ringed by significant British and Commonwealth possessions and much of the strategic supplies needed in peace and war had to pass across it: i.e. Persian oil, Malayan rubber, Indian tea, Australian and New Zealand foodstuffs. Britain also utilised Australian and New Zealand manpower; hence, safe passage for British cargo ships was critical.