Institution

West Africa Squadron

1808–1867 · 19th century · Also known as Preventative Squadron

The West Africa Squadron was the Royal Navy force created in 1808 to suppress the Atlantic slave trade after Britain abolished it in 1807. Patrolling the West African coast from bases such as Freetown, it captured about 1,600 slave ships and freed some 150,000 Africans before being merged into a wider command in 1867.

West Africa Squadron
Image: Irwin John David Bevan · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 profiles

British EmpireMilitaryUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and IrelandMilitary

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). West Africa Squadron. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/west-africa-squadron
MLA
“West Africa Squadron.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/west-africa-squadron. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “West Africa Squadron.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/west-africa-squadron.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘West Africa Squadron’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/west-africa-squadron (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻