The Australian Squadron was the name given to the British naval force assigned to the

Australia Station The Australia Station was the British, and later Australian, naval command responsible for the waters around the Australian continent.Dennis et al. 2008, p.53. Australia Station was under the command of the Commander-in-Chief, Australia Station, ...

from 1859 to 1911.Dennis et al. 2008, p. 67. The Squadron was initially a small force of

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

warships based in Sydney, and although intended to protect the colonies of Australia and New Zealand, the ships were primarily used for surveying and police work. The isolation of Australia from the rest of the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts ...

meant the force was easily neglected, and by the 1870s, was perceived to be useless for its intended role. Following the passing of the '' Australasian Defence Act 1887'', an additional 'Auxiliary Squadron' was assigned to the Station by the

British Admiralty The Admiralty was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy until 1964, historically under its titular head, the Lord High Admiral – one of the Great Officers of State. For much of its ...

with the responsibility for protecting trade in the region. During the early 1900s, the Australian and New Zealand governments agreed to help fund the Squadron, while the Admiralty committed itself to keeping the Squadron at a constant strength. As a British force, the Australia Squadron ceased on 4 October 1913, when the ships of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) entered Sydney Harbour for the first time.Dennis et al. 2008, p. 68. However, the term was subsequently used between 1926 and 1949 to refer to the ships of the RAN: after the decommissioning and scuttling of the battlecruiser and other cutbacks, the term 'Australian Fleet' was thought to be inappropriate to describe the navy's strength. served as squadron flagship between 1922 and 1928.

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References

* {{Named squadrons of the Royal Navy Royal Navy squadrons Military history of Australia

See also

Notes

References