[1] Trincomalee is a natural deep-water harbour that has attracted seafarers like Marco Polo, Ptolemy and traders from China and East Asia since ancient times.

With switch to steam powered ships from the age of sailing, the Royal Navy established a coaling station in Trincomalee as part of their large network of support bases throughout the empire.

A large tank farm was built close to the dockyard store fuel oil of any size fleet, along with dry docks and maintenance facilities to support any ship of the Royal Navy.

In 1920, the British began deploying coastal artillery on the Ostenburg ridge, which was within the dockyard to protect the entrance to the Trincomalee harbor which had now become a major Royal Navy base in the far east.

Mounted on the ridge was a battery of three BL 6 inch Mk VII naval guns manned by the personal of Coastal Regiments of the Royal Artillery.

With the fall of Singapore, Trincomalee dockyard home port for the newly formed Eastern Fleet under the command of Admiral Sir James Somerville.

As a result of the advance warning of the impending attack by the Japanese, Hermes left Trincomalee, minus the 12 Fairey Swordfish Mk Is of 814 Naval Air Squadron, disembarked.

The U.S. task force had been detached to the Indian Ocean to bolster local air defences and also to impart necessary procedures to FAA aircrew, which was done over two or three days' intensive activity at sea.

The Royal Navy presence in Ceylon came to an end in 1956, when Prime Minister S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike requested the removal of all British service personnel from the island.