East Africa Station

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. Between 1862 and 1872 the British established an East Africa Squadron 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. However Britain's real intentions in East Africa was to stop other European naval powers from establishing any similar bases in the region, and the station's purpose was to protect British trade interests passing through the Western Indian Ocean. In the early twentieth century HMNB Zanizibar was primarily used as a coaling station. Prior to World War I British naval operations were gradually scaled down.

The East Coast of Africa Station was re-established in 1914, with bases in the British East Africa Protectorate, subordinate to the East Indies Station. The East Africa Station eventually had two bases; one in Tanganyika and the other at Zanzibar. Its principal role was to protect British commerce from German surface raiders – seen as a priority in 1914–1915. The command existed until 1918, when the Cape of Good Hope Station was assigned East Coast of Africa duties. During the inter-war period the command was scaled down to non-operational status.

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

Air units in this command
Various units that served in this command included:

Naval units in this command
Various units that served in this command included: