United Kingdom Involvement
Following the Slave Trade Act of 1807 the Royal Navy set up the West Africa Squadron. Initially it was only two ships operating from Portsmouth. By 1818 it was six ships but it established a naval station at what is now Freetown, with Ascension Island then Cape Town as a supply base.
The resources were increased – in the middle of the 19th century there were around 25 vessels and 2,000 personnel with a further 1,000 local sailors. By 1860 the West Africa Squadron had captured 1,500 slave ships.
Read more about this topic: Blockade Of Africa
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