The Royal Navy and the Battle to End Slavery

Page 2 of 7

• 1. A new challenge
• 2. West Africa Squadron
• 3. Reporting victories
• 4. The Indian Ocean
• 5. Zanzibar dhow-chasing
• 6. An inglorious crusade
• 7. Find out more
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West Africa Squadron

By 1807, the nation had been continuously at war for 14 long years, and only a token unit was sent to carry out the initial anti-slavery patrols. The ageing frigate 'Solebay' and the sloop 'Derwent' were dispatched to West Africa, but the two ships could do little more than cruise up and down the coast.

The number of vessels was increased to five in 1811 before the demands of war with the United States (1812-1814) curtailed progress.

With peace in Europe from 1815, and British supremacy at sea secured, the Navy turned its attention back to the challenge and established the West Coast of Africa Station, known as the 'preventative squadron', which for the next 50 years operated against the slavers.

'The task of enforcing the act was huge, quite beyond any one nation without the co-operation of all governments concerned. '

But it was not a story of continual success. Patrolling the coast was arduous, unpleasant and frustrating, and the vessels employed on the station were often too old, too slow, and too few in number to catch the slave ships.

The task of enforcing the act was huge, quite beyond any one nation without the co-operation of all governments concerned. Unsurprisingly, this proved difficult to obtain. The French paid eloquent lip service to the idea, but, sensitive to any appearance of servility to the British, would not allow boarding parties to search their ships.

Nor would the Americans, who were in any case too dependent on slave labour to join the campaign in these early years with any real enthusiasm. The Spanish, Portuguese, and Brazilians continued their human trafficking openly, and their colonial economies were so bound with slave labour that they had neither the will nor the power to act effectively.

The inclusion of an 'equipment clause' in new treaties - which made the presence of manacles and chains, extra planking or water storage enough to prove that a ship was engaging in illegal trading - improved success rates greatly, and in time these nations conceded Britain the right to search their vessels.

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Published: 2007-02-05