The South Atlantic Station existed during and after the
Second World War having been changed from the
Commander-in-Chief, Africa. 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. The South Atlantic Station had bases at
Freetown and
Simonstown. On 3 September 1939, Leo Niehorster's site lists the force as comprising the South American Division under Commodore
Henry Harwood comprising , , and ; the
6th Cruiser Squadron, comprising only , Vice Admiral George Lyon's flagship; the
9th Cruiser Squadron, with , , , and ; the seaplane carrier , en route to Freetown from
Lee-on-Solent; the
7th Submarine Flotilla, of two boats on their way from Gibraltar to Freetown; four destroyers, all at Freetown; six miscellaneous craft and two harbour vessels, all at Freetown; and the Gambia and Gold Coast Naval Volunteer Forces. On 2 October 1939, , then operating with the liner
Orduna north of
Callao off the west coast of South America, was instructed that after fuelling from the fleet tanker , she was to proceed south about to the South Atlantic. "The
Achilles was to show herself at Chilean ports as considered desirable and refuel at the Falkland Islands. The passage was to be made with moderate despatch and on arrival the cruiser was to come under the orders of the
Commander-in-Chief, Africa." Thus
Achilles arrived in the South Atlantic and joined Commodore Harwood's force, later to take part in the
Battle of the River Plate against the
Graf Spee. In 1955, the new
Simonstown Agreement on naval cooperation between the UK and the
Union of South Africa was agreed after much discussion. It was planned to include: • the combined use of Simonstown by the Royal Navy and South African Navy in peace and in war (even if South Africa were neutral in some non-Communist war, a most remote contingency), on the understanding that the base would also be available in war to the allies of the United Kingdom; • the gradual assumption of responsibility by the South African Navy for the operation and administration of the base for combined use; • the assumption by South Africa of responsibility in war for the operational and administrative control of a local sub-area of a South Atlantic Strategic Zone; and • that a Royal Navy officer would continue as Commander-in-Chief South Atlantic in peace, with headquarters and communications at the Cape, and that his designation in war would be Commander of the South Atlantic Strategic Zone. arrived at Simon's Town on 19 November 1956. After a series of visits to East African ports, the ship was nominated for transfer to the Reserve. On 19 January 1957, she sailed for the UK, calling at
Lobito in
Portuguese West Africa,
Boma in the
Belgian Congo, and sailed up the
Congo River to
Matadi. She then called at
Libreville in
French Equatorial Africa,
São Tomé Island in the
Gulf of Guinea,
Lagos, Nigeria,
Monrovia, Liberia, and
Freetown, Sierra Leone. At Freetown she wore the flag of the Commander-in-Chief, South Atlantic, Vice Admiral Sir Geoffrey Robson.
Veryan Bay arrived at Plymouth on 11 March and was then paid-off. In April 1957, the Simonstown base was handed over to the
Union of South Africa in accordance with the 1955 agreement. On 24 May 1957, was recommissioned for service in the
7th Frigate Squadron in the South Atlantic, sailing for
Simon's Town in August. She made calls in Brazil and Argentina, took part in squadron exercises in South Atlantic, and was also deployed in South African waters for joint exercises with the
South African Navy. In early 1958, she visited ports in East Africa. In May she sailed for the Falklands for her third and final tour of duty as guard ship, departing in June and sailing to the UK via ports on west coast of South America, making calls in Chile and Peru before transiting the
Panama Canal, and finally arriving at Devonport in August where she was decommissioned, put into Reserve, and on the Disposal List. It was planned that the Commander-in-Chief was to haul down his flag on 11 April 1967 and to leave Cape Town the following day. The station was abolished/absorbed into the
Western Fleet that year, when Western Fleet assumed responsibility for all ships "West of Suez". After 11 April 1967, a Senior British Naval Officer South Africa with the rank of Commodore remained at
Afrikander (at Youngsfield, a suburb just south of
Cape Town), who quickly became responsible to Commander-in-Chief
Western Fleet. (Home Fleet was succeeded by Western Fleet on 5 June 1967.) Captain James William Cook was the first Commanding Officer, HMS Afrikander & Senior British Naval Officer, South Africa (as Commodore), from April 1967 to February 1969. Acting Commodore
Nigel Cecil filled the post from 1971 to 1973. Officers continued to be posted there until February 1976 when the post was disestablished and closed. Commodore A F C Wemyss OBE was the last incumbent. ==Commanders-in-Chief==