North American Station

The North American Station was an area of operation of the UK's Royal Navy's squadron stationed in North American waters from at least 1792 until the 1950s. During some periods of 19th century the North American Station was combined with the West Indies station.

Admiral Thomas Cochrane served as C-in-C from 1848 to 1851. Rear Admiral Sir Alexander Milne, 1st Baronet served as the C-in-C, NA&WI from 1860 to 1864. Up until 1899 there were separate North American and West Indies stations.

It was maintained at varying strength throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It had a base at Bermuda where there was a dockyard until 1951. Reasonable facilities and a great fortified harbour were available at Royal Naval Dockyard, Halifax - Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada - now CFB Halifax. During World War II, Canada developed Sydney, Nova Scotia as an alternate convoy port.

British ports in the Caribbean, such as Kingston, Jamaica and Port of Spain, Trinidad were available for rest, refueling and supplies as was St. John's, Newfoundland in the far northeast, the closest port in North America to any British port in the United Kingdom.

The main role of the station was to keep the trade routes open to North America and the Caribbean. Generally, several cruisers and smaller ships were kept on this station. During war time the squadron operated in cooperation with the Canadian Navy.

Other ports used were:

* Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda 1783-1958 - HMS Malabar became the succeeding station until 1995

* Esquimalt, British Columbia 1865-1905 - now CFB Esquimalt (since 1910)

In 1910, the Royal Navy in North American waters was replaced by the Royal Canadian Navy, and the station headquarters shifted south to Bermuda. In 1926 the appointment was redesignated Commander-in-Chief, America and West Indies, which was the title until the 1950s. The station covered the area from southern Brazil to Greenland during World War II. Its Commander-in-Chief, Vice Admiral Sir William G. Andrewes, was the initial Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic after World War II (circa 1952 and afterwards). [Sean M. Maloney, 'To Secure Command of the Sea: NATO Command Organization and Naval Planning for the Cold War at Sea, 1945-54,' MA thesis, University of New Brunswick, 1991, p.198 and Chapter 4 generally, and http://www.bermuda-online.org/rnd.htm.] On 29 October 1956, the command became Senior Naval Officer West Indies (SNOWI), which was finally disbanded on 1 April 1976. SNOWI served as Island Commander Bermuda in the NATO chain of command, reporting to Commander-in-Chief, Western Atlantic as part of SACLANT. [UK Chiefs of Staff Committee, [http://yourarchives.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php?title=DEFE_5/188/4#COMMAND_IN_THE_CARIBBEAN_Note_by_the_Secretary, Command in the Carribean] , DEFE 5/188/4, January 1971, via The National Archives]

From c.1931-33 - at least 1939 the South American Division of the station was active, under Commodore R.H.O. Lane-Poole, O.B.E., R.N., on formation, and then Commodore Henry Harwood at the Battle of the River Plate.

For ships stationed in Canada and North America go to List of Royal Navy ships in North America.

Commanders in the 1700s

Commanders of the North American Squadron of the Royal Navy, 1759-1776 [Stout, Neil R. The Royal Navy in America, 1760-1775: A Study of Enforcement of British Colonial Policy in the Era of the American Revolution. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD, 1973, p.199 via [http://www.gaspee.org/JohnMontagu.htm Gaspee Virtual Archives: Research Notes on Admiral John Montagu] ]
*Commodore Lord Alexander Collville, November 1759-October 1762
*Commodore Richard Spry. October 1762-October 1763
*Rear Admiral Lord Alexander Collville, October 1763-September 1766
*Captain Joseph Deane, September 1766-November 1766 (Senior Captain)
*Captain Archibald Kennedy, November 1766-July 1767 (Senior Captain)
*Commodore Samuel Hood, July 1767-October 1770
*Commodore James Gambier, October 1770-August 1771
*Rear Admiral John Montagu, August 1771-June 1774
*Vice Admiral Samuel Graves, June 1774-January 1776

References

* [http://www.pdavis.nl/ShowCommanders.php Commanders-in-Chief, North America, 1830-99]
* [http://www.admirals.org.uk/appointments/fleets/americawestindies.php Commanders-in-Chief]