Leeward Islands Station

The Leeward Islands Station[1] and originally known as the Barbadoes and Leeward Islands Station [2][3] was a formation or command of the Kingdom of Great Britain and then the United Kingdom's Royal Navy stationed at English Harbour,[4] Antigua, Leeward Islands from 1743[5][6] to 1821.

Leeward Islands Station
English Harbour and Falmouth Harbour on Antigua
Active1743–1821
CountryUnited Kingdom
Branch Royal Navy
TypeFormation
Part ofRoyal Navy
Garrison/HQNelson's Dockyard

History

During the 18th and 19th centuries Antigua served as the headquarters of first the Commander in Chief Barbadoes and Leeward Islands Station then later the Commander in Chief of the Leeward Island Station which was the British navy's important base in the Eastern Caribbean area during the Napoleonic Wars The three most strategically important islands the British utilized on the Leeward Islands Station were Antigua, Barbados and St. Lucia and these were the islands they used as naval bases.[4] The Station, was formed in October 1743[5] as a separate command to the older Jamaica Station[5][6] to contribute to a permanent British naval presence in the area to protect Britain's sugar producing islands and its convoys. During the Seven Years' War a number of large scale naval actions were conducted by the Royal Navy 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 transferred to the larger North America Station.[7]

Commander-in-Chief, Barbadoes and Leeward Islands

Notes:Incomplete list Included:[7][2]

Commander-in-Chief, Leeward Islands

Citations

  1. Ward (2011a), pp. 1–2.
  2. Harrison, Simon. "Commander-in-Chief at Barbados & the Leeward Islands". threedecks.org. S. Harrison. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  3. Richmond (1920), p. 243.
  4. Ward (2011b), p. 1.
  5. Sanderson (1968), p. 5.
  6. Sanderson (1968), p. 18.
  7. Haydn (1851), p. 279.
  8. Laurens (1970), p. 210.
  9. Schomberg (1802), p. 232.
  10. Winfield (2008), p. 144.
  11. Schomberg (1802), p. 235.
  12. Heslip (2010).
  13. Billias (1972), p. 8.
  14. Schomberg (1802), p. 238.
  15. Little (1974).

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.