September 7, 1916.
Lamu Port.
East Africa's Indian Ocean Fleet formally prepared to take over the territory ceded by Siam. The East African government named the region separated from Siam the Kra Isthmus Territory.
Vice Admiral Kolets of the East African Navy addressed the assembled officers and sailors: "Phuket Port should become our navy's strategic fulcrum in the East Indies maritime territory. We will build an overseas base for the Indian Ocean Fleet here, allowing our navy's sphere of influence to truly extend across the entire Indian Ocean."
Although East Africa's Indian Ocean Fleet enjoyed a formidable reputation and was hailed as the strongest navy in the entire Indian Ocean, East Africa's actual influence over the Indian Ocean was not commensurate with that reputation.
The principal reason for this was East Africa's lack of territory in the East Indian Ocean region.
Previously, East Africa had faced the same issue in the North Indian Ocean—roughly the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, and Persian Gulf regions. However, with the establishment of the Northern Bay Territory, East Africa had truly gained a foothold in the waters of the North Indian Ocean. Moreover, the North Indian Ocean was not far from the East African mainland, so even though the Northern Bay Territory had poor environmental carrying capacity, it was not a major problem.
The East Indian Ocean was another matter. In the past, East Africa had not possessed a single piece of territory or naval base there, causing the East African Navy's local influence to fall far short of Britain's and France's.
Now, however, the emergence of the Kra Isthmus Territory greatly resolved the Indian Ocean Fleet's lack of a strategic fulcrum in the East Indian Ocean.
East Africa's definition of the East Indian Ocean was quite simple. Taking India's southernmost tip as the