The Indian Ocean did not sit under one neat peacetime headquarters. East Indies, China, Australian, South Atlantic and Africa, Persian Gulf, and Red Sea stations divided responsibility across the region. Each retained its own senior officer, but commission seniority usually made one admiral first among nominal equals. The convention supplied coordination without formally replacing the station commanders or erasing their geographic responsibilities.
Notable Point · 9:43-12:00
How dispersed stations used seniority to coordinate
Separate East Indies, China, Australian, Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and African commands used commission seniority to create a practical first among equals.