Newfoundland Station

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Newfoundland Station
Active1729–1825
Country
Portsmouth, St. John's
.

The Newfoundland Station

formation or command of, first, the Kingdom of Great Britain and, then, of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. Its official headquarters varied between Portsmouth or Plymouth[2] in England where a squadron of ships would set sail annually each year to protect convoys and the British fishing fleet operating in waters off the Newfoundland coast and would remain for period of approximately six months based at St. John's Harbour
. In 1818 the station became a permanent posting headquartered at St John's. It existed from 1729 to 1825.

History

The

British Government and a Royal Navy official who was commander-in-chief[3] of the annual fishing convoy which left England each spring, sometimes from Portsmouth and other times from Plymouth, to fish off Newfoundland: the fleet were tasked with protecting the fishing convoys from harm. They were also responsible for administrative and judicial functions, including assisting the fishing admirals in Britain in maintaining admiralty law and order and compiling the annual report on the fish stocks for the British government. From 1729 to 1775 the officer appointed was usually of Commodore rank; however the station's increasing importance after that date led to appointments of more senior flag officers.[4]

The squadron stayed in Newfoundland for approximately four to six months annually. How long they remained depended on the orders they received from the

Admiralty, according to the ships' condition. The fleet usually arrived off Newfoundland in July and August, generally returning to England, via the Lisbon Station, towards the end of October. Bypassing the horrendous weather conditions prevalent in the Atlantic at that time of year and escorting the British fishing vessels were important considerations in when the squadron returned. In spite of these problems, the naval administration continued to grow throughout the 18th century. By 1818, the Newfoundland Colony had a sufficiently large permanent population to warrant having a full-time resident governor. The station's responsibilities were merged into the North America Station in 1825 when a full-time civilian governor was appointed.[5]

Commanders

List of Commanders in Chief, Newfoundland Station
Rank Name From Until Notes Ref.
Commodore Henry Osborn 1729 1730 [4]
Commodore George Clinton 1731 1731
Commodore Edward Falkingham 1732 1732
Commodore Robert Muskerry 1733 1734
Commodore FitzRoy Henry Lee 1735 1737
Commodore Philip Vanbrugh 1738 1738
Commodore Henry Medley 1739 1740
Commodore Thomas Smith 1741 1741
Commodore John Byng 1742 1742
Commodore Thomas Smith 1743 1743
Commodore Charles Hardy 1744 1744
Commodore
Richard Edwards
1745 1745
Commodore Sir James Douglas 1746 1746
Commodore Charles Watson 1748 1748
Commodore
George Rodney
1749 1749
Commodore Francis William Drake 1750 1752
Commodore Hugh Bonfoy 1753 1754
Commodore Richard Dorrill 1755 1756
Commodore
Richard Edwards
1757 1759
Commodore James Webb 1760 1761 Died in post
Commodore Thomas Graves 1761 1763
Commodore Hugh Palliser 1764 1768
Commodore John Byron 1769 1771
Commodore Molyneux Shuldham 1772 1774
Commodore Robert Duff 1775 1775
Vice-Admiral
John Montagu 1776 1778 Titled Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Newfoundland [4][6][1]
Rear-Admiral
Richard Edwards
1779 1781 [4]
Vice-Admiral
John Campbell 1782 1786
Rear-Admiral
John Elliot 1786 1788
Vice-Admiral
Mark Milbanke 1789 1791 [4][7]
Rear-Admiral
Sir Richard King 1792 1793 [4]
Rear-Admiral
Sir James Wallace 1794 1796
Vice-Admiral
William Waldegrave 1797 1799
Rear-Admiral
Charles Pole 1800 1801
Vice-Admiral
James Gambier 1802 1803
Vice-Admiral
Sir Erasmus Gower 1804 1806 [4][8]
Vice-Admiral
John Holloway 1807 1809 [4]
Admiral Sir John Duckworth 1810 1812
Vice-Admiral
Sir Richard Keats 1813 1816
Vice-Admiral
Francis Pickmore 1817 1818 Died in post
Captain John Bowker 1818 1818 Temporary
Vice-Admiral
Sir Charles Hamilton 1818 1825

See also

Notes

References

External links