| North American and West Indies Station | |
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The capture of USS Chesapeake on 1 June 1813 as depicted by John Christian Schetky |
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| Active | North American Station (1745–1818) North America and West Indies Station (1818–1926) America and West Indies Station (1926–1956) West Indies (1956–1976) HMS Malabar (1976–1995) |
| Country | United Kingdom, Bermuda, and Canada |
| Branch | Royal Navy |
| Type | Naval squadron & fleet |
| Part of | Royal Navy |
| Garrison/HQ | Royal Naval Dockyard, Halifax & Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda |
| Notable ships | HMS Fame, HMS Invincible, HMS Leopard, HMS Resolute |
| Engagements | Battle of the Chesapeake, Battle of Cape Henry, Siege of Yorktown, Battle of St. Kitts (1781–1782) USS Constitution vs HMS Guerriere, Capture of HMS Frolic, Capture of USS Chesapeake, Capture of HMS Boxer, Battle of Baltimore (1812–1814), pursuit of SM U-53 (1916), Battle of the Atlantic (1939–1945) |
| Disbanded | 1 April 1976 |
The North American and West Indies Station was a formation or command of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy stationed in North American waters from 1745 until the 1950s. During some periods the North American Station (NA) was separated from with the West Indies station (WI) and known as the North American Station.
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The squadron was formed in 1745 to counter French forces in North America. It was based initially at Halifax Naval Yard in Nova Scotia. In 1818, its main base was moved to Bermuda which was better positioned to counter threats from the United States.[1] The Royal Navy had created a permanent establishment in Bermuda in 1795, and began buying land around the archipelago for the development of a naval base including what became the Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda. Up until 1899 there were separate North American and West Indies stations.
The squadron was maintained at varying strength throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In addition to the base at Bermuda, where there was a dockyard until 1951, the squadron continued to make use of the great fortified harbours that 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 Royal Canadian Navy.
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. After the closure of Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda in 1958, HMS Malabar served as the succeeding station until 1995.
The Commander-in-Chief, Vice Admiral Sir William Andrewes, was the initial Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic after World War II (circa 1952 and afterwards).[2] 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.[3]
By the 1990s, other than HMS Malabar, the Royal Naval presence in the North-Western Atlantic and Caribbean had been reduced to the West Indies Guard Ship (now called Atlantic Patrol Task (North)), a role which was rotated among the frigates of the fleet, which took turns operating extended patrols of the West Indies.
From around 1931-33 to 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.
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Commanders of the Station have included:[4][5][6][7][8]
North American Station
North America and West Indies Station
America and West Indies Station
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