The Leeward Islands Station originally known as the Commander-in-Chief at Barbadoes and the Leeward Islands was a

formation Formation may refer to: Linguistics * Back-formation, the process of creating a new lexeme by removing or affixes * Word formation, the creation of a new word by adding affixes Mathematics and science * Cave formation or speleothem, a secondar ...

command Command may refer to: Computing * Command (computing), a statement in a computer language * COMMAND.COM, the default operating system shell and command-line interpreter for DOS * Command key, a modifier key on Apple Macintosh computer keyboards * ...

of the

Kingdom of Great Britain The Kingdom of Great Britain (officially Great Britain) was a Sovereign state, sovereign country in Western Europe from 1 May 1707 to the end of 31 December 1800. The state was created by the 1706 Treaty of Union and ratified by the Acts of ...

and then the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

stationed at

English Harbour English Harbour is a natural harbour and settlement on the island of Antigua in the Caribbean, in the extreme south of the island. The settlement takes its name from the nearby harbour in which the Royal Navy established its base of operations ...

Antigua Antigua ( ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the native population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Bar ...

Leeward Islands french: Îles-Sous-le-Vent , image_name = , image_caption = ''Political'' Leeward Islands. Clockwise: Antigua and Barbuda, Guadeloupe, Saint kitts and Nevis. , image_alt = , locator_map = , location = Caribbean SeaNorth Atlantic Ocean , coor ...

. It existed from 1743 to 1821.

History

During the 18th and 19th centuries Antigua served as the headquarters of first the ''Commander in Chief Barbadoes and Leeward Islands'' then later the ''Commander in Chief, Leeward Islands'' which was the British navy's important base in the Eastern

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

area during the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

The three most strategically important bases were Antigua, Barbados and St. Lucia. The Station, was formed in October 1743 as a separate command to the older Jamaica Station to protect Britain's sugar producing islands and its convoys. During the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754� ...

a number of large scale naval actions were conducted by the

from this Caribbean base, one of its major engagements was the Battle of the Saintes. The station was in existence from 1743 to 1821 when it was abolished. The last commander-in-chief was reappointed as the Commander-in-Chief for the North America station.

Commander-in-Chief, Barbadoes and Leeward Islands

Included:
= died in post * Commodore Charles Knowles, (1743-1744) (also ''Second-in-Command, Jamaica Station'') * Rear-Admiral Peter Warren (1744 - 1745) * Commodore Fitzroy Henry Lee (1745-1746) * Vice-Admiral

Isaac Townsend Isaac Townsend ( – 21 November 1765) was an admiral in the British Royal Navy and a Member of Parliament. A post-captain from 1720, Townsend commanded various ships. As captain of HMS Shrewsbury he took part in the expedition against Cartage ...

, (1744-1746) * Commodore Edward Legge, (1746-1747) * Rear-Admiral Henry Osborn, (1748) * Commodore

Francis Holburne Admiral Sir Francis Holburne (1704 – 15 July 1771) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. He served as commodore and commander-in-chief at the Leeward Islands during the War of the Austrian Succession and then took part in an operation to ca ...

, (1748-1752) * Rear-Admiral Thomas Pye, (1752-1755) * Commodore Sir Thomas Frankland, (1754) * Commodore

Charles Steevens Rear-Admiral Charles Steevens (c. 1705 – 20 May 1761) was a Royal Navy officer who became Commander-in-Chief of the East Indies Station. Naval career Born the fifth son of John Steevens, Steevens was promoted to lieutenant in the Royal Nav ...

(1755) * Commodore Sir Thomas Frankland, (1756-1757) * Commodore John Moore, (1757-1760) * Commodore

Sir James Douglas James Douglas may refer to: Scottish noblemen Lords of Angus * James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Angus (1426–1446), Scottish nobleman * James Douglas, Earl of Angus (1671–1692), son of the 2nd Marquess of Douglas Lords of Douglas * James Douglas, L ...

, (1760-1761) * Admiral

Sir George Brydges Rodney Admiral George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, KB ( bap. 13 February 1718 – 24 May 1792), was a British naval officer. He is best known for his commands in the American War of Independence, particularly his victory over the French at t ...

, (1761-1763) * Rear-Admiral Sir William Burnaby, (1763) * Rear-Admiral

Richard Tyrell Rear-Admiral Richard Tyrell (1691–26 June 1766) was an Irish officer in the Royal Navy. Life He was born in Dublin in 1691 the son of James and Mary Tyrell. Tyrell was a nephew of Sir Peter Warren, and entered the Royal Navy rather late i ...

, (1763) * Rear-Admiral

Robert Swanton Rear Admiral Robert Swanton (1710–1765) was a Royal Navy officer who became commander-in-chief of the Leeward Islands Station. Naval career Swanton joined the Royal Navy on 8 September 1724 as a cadet. He was given an operational post as ...

, (1763-1764) * Rear-Admiral

, (1765-1766) * Vice-Admiral Thomas Pye, (1766-1769) * Rear-Admiral

Robert Man Admiral Robert Man (1721–1783) was a Royal Navy officer. He commanded the third-rate HMS ''Lancaster'' at the siege of Louisbourg in June 1758 during the French and Indian War. He went on to become commander-in-chief of the Leeward Islands S ...

, (1769-1772)

Commander-in-Chief, Leeward Islands

= died in post * Vice-Admiral William Parry, (1772-1775) * Vice-Admiral James Young, (1775-1778) * Rear-Admiral

Samuel Barrington Admiral Samuel Barrington (1729 – 16 August 1800) was a Royal Navy officer. Barrington was the fourth son of John Barrington, 1st Viscount Barrington of Beckett Hall at Shrivenham in Berkshire (now Oxfordshire). He enlisted in the navy at th ...

, (1778-1779) * Vice-Admiral

John Byron Vice-Admiral John Byron (8 November 1723 – 1 April 1786) was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer. He earned the nickname "Foul-Weather Jack" in the press because of his frequent encounters with bad weather at sea. As a midshipman, he sa ...

, (1779) * Rear-Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, (1779-1780) * Admiral

, (1780-1781) * Rear-Admiral

Sir Samuel Hood Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood (12 December 1724 – 27 January 1816) was an admiral in the Royal Navy. As a junior officer he saw action during the War of the Austrian Succession. While in temporary command of , he drove a French ship ashore in ...

, (1781-1782) * Admiral

, (1782) * Admiral Hugh Pigot, (1782-1783) * Rear Admiral Sir Richard Hughes, (1783-1786) * Commodore Sir Richard Bickerton, (1786-1787) * Commodore

Sir William Parker Admiral of the Fleet Sir William Parker, 1st Baronet, GCB (1 December 1781 – 13 November 1866), was a Royal Navy officer. As a captain's servant he took part in the Battle of The Glorious First of June in June 1794 during the French Revoluti ...

, (1787-1789) * Rear-Admiral Sir John Laforey, (1789-1793) * Rear-Admiral Alan Gardner, (1793) * Vice-Admiral Sir John Jervis, (1793-1794) * Vice-Admiral

Benjamin Caldwell Admiral Sir Benjamin Caldwell, (31 January 1739 – November 1820) was a senior and experienced British Royal Navy officer of the eighteenth century. His many victories and achievements were overshadowed by his acrimonious departure from the ...

, (1794-1795) * Admiral Sir John Laforey, (1795–96) * Rear-Admiral Sir Hugh Cloberry Christian, (1796) * Rear-Admiral

Henry Harvey Admiral Sir Henry Harvey KB (Bef. 4 Aug 1737 – 28 December 1810) was a long-serving officer of the British Royal Navy during the second half of the eighteenth century. Harvey participated in numerous naval operations and actions and espec ...

, (1796-1799) * Vice-Admiral Lord Hugh Seymour, (1799-1800) * Rear-Admiral Sir John Duckworth, (1800-1801) * Rear-Admiral

Thomas Totty Rear Admiral Thomas Totty (1746 – 2 June 1802) was a Welsh naval officer of the Napoleonic Wars. Life Totty was born at Holywell, Flintshire, and was baptised at Holywell parish church on 24 January 1746. He inherited a large farmhouse in the ...

, (1801-1802) * Commodore Samuel Hood, (1802) * Commodore Robert Stopford, (1802-1805) * Rear-Admiral

Sir Alexander Cochrane Admiral of the Blue Sir Alexander Inglis Cochrane (born Alexander Forrester Cochrane; 23 April 1758 – 26 January 1832) was a senior Royal Navy commander during the Napoleonic Wars and achieved the rank of admiral. He had previously captai ...

, (1805-1811) * Rear-Admiral Sir Francis Laforey, (1811-1814) * Rear-Admiral Sir Philip Charles Durham, (1814-1816) * Rear-Admiral

John Harvey John Harvey may refer to: People Academics * John Harvey (astrologer) (1564–1592), English astrologer and physician * John Harvey (architectural historian) (1911–1997), British architectural historian, who wrote on English Gothic architecture ...

, (1816-1818) * Rear-Admiral Donald Campbell, (1818-1819) * Commodore

Thomas Huskisson Thomas Huskisson (1784–1844) was an officer in the Royal Navy. Thomas Huskisson was half-brother of William Huskisson, the British politician. Naval career Huskisson joined the Royal Navy in 1800 and saw action at the Battle of Trafalgar on ...

, (1819-1820) * Rear-Admiral

William Charles Fahie Vice-Admiral Sir William Charles Fahie KCB (1763 – 11 January 1833) was a prominent British Royal Navy officer during the American War of Independence, French Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars. Unusually, Fahie's service was almost enti ...

, (1820-1821)

Citations

References

* * * * * * * * * * * * * {{Royal Navy fleets Commands of the Royal Navy History of British Antigua and Barbuda Saint Paul Parish, Antigua and Barbuda 1740s establishments in the Caribbean 1743 establishments in North America 1743 establishments in the British Empire Military units and formations disestablished in the 1820s