Editing Diego Garcia (section)

===20th century===
[[File:Barochois Maurice, Diego Garcia.jpg|thumb|[[Barachois]] Maurice, Diego Garcia]]
[[File:Consolidated PBY Catalina wreck on Diego Garcia 1982.jpg|thumb|Catalina wreck on the beach]]

In 1914, the island was visited by the German light cruiser {{SMS|Emden}} halfway through its commerce-raiding cruise during the early months of [[World War&nbsp;I]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tPUMAAAAYAAJ |title=Helmuth von Mucke 'The Emden' |year=1916 |page= 130 |last1=Mücke |first1=Hellmuth von }}</ref>

In 1942, the British opened RAF Station Diego Garcia and established an advanced flying boat unit at the East Point Plantation, staffed and equipped by [[No. 205 Squadron RAF|No. 205]] and [[No. 240 Squadron RAF|No. 240 Squadron]]s, then stationed on Ceylon. Both [[Consolidated PBY Catalina|Catalina]] and [[Short Sunderland|Sunderland]] aircraft were flown during the course of [[World War&nbsp;II]] in search of Japanese and German submarines and surface raiders. At Cannon Point,<ref name="youtube.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1211xF65ac| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111128015132/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1211xF65ac| archive-date=28 November 2011 | url-status=dead|title=Cannon Point, Diego Garcia|last=subiepowa|date=28 April 2007|via=YouTube}}</ref> two 6-inch naval guns were installed by a [[Royal Marines]] detachment. In February 1942, the mission was to protect the small Royal Navy base and Royal Air Force station located on the island from Japanese attack.<ref name="youtube.com"/> Operation of the guns was later taken over by Mauritian and Indian Coastal Artillery troops.<ref>[[#Edis|Edis (2004)]], p. 73.</ref> Following the conclusion of hostilities, the station was closed on 30 April 1946.<ref>[[#Edis|Edis (2004)]], p. 70.</ref>

In 1962, the Chagos Agalega Company of the British colony of Seychelles purchased the Société Huilière de Diego et Peros and moved company headquarters to Seychelles.<ref name="Edis_82">[[#Edis|Edis (2004)]], p. 82.</ref>

In the early 1960s, the UK was [[East of Suez#20th century|withdrawing its military presence]] from the Indian Ocean, not including the airfield at [[RAF Gan]] to the north of Diego Garcia in the Maldives (which remained open until 1976), and agreed to permit the United States to establish a naval communication station on one of its island territories there. The United States requested an unpopulated island belonging to the UK to avoid political difficulties with newly independent countries, and ultimately the UK and United States agreed that Diego Garcia was a suitable location.<ref name="Sand_3">[[#Sand|Sand (2009)]], p. 3.</ref>