The Newfoundland Station was a
formation or
command
Command may refer to:
Computing
* Command (computing), a statement in a computer language
* command (Unix), a Unix command
* COMMAND.COM, the default operating system shell and command-line interpreter for DOS
* Command key, a modifier key on A ...
of, first, the
Kingdom of Great Britain
Great Britain, also known as the Kingdom of Great Britain, was a sovereign state in Western Europe from 1707 to the end of 1800. The state was created by the 1706 Treaty of Union and ratified by the Acts of Union 1707, which united the Kingd ...
and, then, of 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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
's
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
. Its official headquarters varied between Portsmouth or Plymouth 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
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...
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
Commodore-Governor was both a
British Government
His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. and a Royal Navy official who was commander-in-chief 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
Maritime law or admiralty law is a body of law that governs nautical issues and private maritime disputes. Admiralty law consists of both domestic law on maritime activities, and conflict of laws, private international law governing the relations ...
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.
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
Newfoundland was an English, and later British, colony established in 1610 on the island of Newfoundland. That followed decades of sporadic English settlement on the island, which was at first only seasonal. Newfoundland was made a Crown 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
The North America and West Indies Station was a formation (military), formation or Command (military formation), command of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom's Royal Navy stationed in North American waters from 174 ...
in 1825 when a full-time civilian governor was appointed.
Commanders
See also
*
Fishing admiral
Notes
References
*
*Miller, Nathan. Broadsides: ''The Age of Fighting Sail, 1775-1815'' . New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2000.
*Rodger, N.A.M. ''The Command of the Ocean: A Naval History of Britain, 1649-1815''. New York and London: W.W. Norton and Company, 2004.
External links
http://morethannelson.com/Royal Navy Stations
{{Royal Navy fleets
Commands of the Royal Navy
Military units and formations disestablished in 1825