Commander-in-Chief, South Atlantic

South Atlantic Station

HMS Bermuda, flagship of the Commander-in-Chief, South Atlantic in the early 1950s
Active 1939–1967
Country  United Kingdom
Branch  Royal Navy
Type Fleet
Garrison/HQ Freetown, Simonstown, and Port Stanley

The South Atlantic Station was a formation of the Royal Navy. It was formed from the former Cape of Good Hope Station.

Although the South Atlantic and Pacific Station briefly existed in the First World War, the South Atlantic Station had a more substantial existence during and after the Second World War having been created from the Africa Station. Its' area of responsibility covered the Atlantic Ocean south of a line drawn between the northern French West African (now Mauritanian) border and French Guiana and the Southern Ocean and Indian Ocean east of a line drawn south from the western entrance to the Magellan Strait and west of a line drawn south from the South African/ Mozambican border.[1] The South Atlantic Station had bases at Freetown, Simonstown, and Port Stanley. It was absorbed into the Western Fleet in 1967 when that Command assumed responsibility for all ships "West of Suez".[2]

The frigate Lynx served as Admiral Talbot's flagship in the 1960s. She was the last ship remaining on the station and returned home after April 1967 and the abolishing of the CINCSASA post.[3] After 11 April 1967, a Senior British Naval Officer South Africa with the rank of Commodore remained, responsible to Commander-in-Chief Western Fleet, until February 1976 when the post was disestablished and HMS Afrikander closed.[4]

Commanders-in-Chief

Commanders-in-Chief have included:
Commander-in-Chief, South Atlantic and Pacific

Commander-in-Chief, South Atlantic

Commander-in-Chief, South Atlantic and South America

See also

References

Sources