14 February 1945
Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser, RN arrived in Sydney commanding the British Pacific Fleet made of battleships, carriers, cruisers and destroyers accompanied by fleet logistics ship. He was the Admiral who commanded the Home fleet from HMS Duke of York when she sank the German battleship Scharnhorst at the Battle of North Cape in December 1943.
The BFP was the most powerful fleet that the Royal Navy sent to war in its long history. Its aircraft destroyed the Japanese oil refineries in the Dutch East Indies and the capital ships sailed with the US fleets that closed in Okinawa and the Japanese home islands. The British battleships provided naval gunfire support and the carriers mounted air raids onto targets in Japan.
Fraser commanded from Sydney but was at the surrender of Japan on the USS Missouri on 2 September and signed on behalf of the United Kingdom.
