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"ABC" Cunningham entered the Royal Navy in 1898 and saw action in the Dardanelles during the First World War as commander of a destroyer. He then participated with distinction in the raid on Zeebruge. An aid to King George V in the early 1930s, he was promoted to rear admiral in 1934 and commanded the Mediterranean destroyer flotilla and then the Mediterranean battle cruiser squadron. Named commander of the Mediterranean fleet in 1939, he carried out the distasteful task of immobilizing the French fleet after the fall of France in June 1940. He was the victor in actions at Calabria, Taranto, and Cape Matapan against the Italians, and carried out the costly evacuation of Crete.
Cunningham was sent to Washington to represent the Royal Navy on the Combined Chiefs of Staff Committee in June 1942. Promoted to admiral of the fleet, he resumed command in the Mediterranean in October 1942 and covered the Torch and Husky landings. With Italy effectively knocked out of the war, Cunningham was recalled to London to replace Dudley Pound as First Sea Lord (British equivalent of Chief of Naval Operations) where he served until his retirement in 1946. He was created 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope on retirement and published his memoirs in 1951.
Cunningham was a superb fighting admiral and inspirational leader under difficult circumstances. He is widely regarded by historians as the greatest British admiral since Nelson.
| 1883-1-7
|
Born at Dublin, Scotland |
|
| 1898-5 |
Midshipman |
Graduates from Britannia Royal
Naval College |
| 1899 |
Doris |
|
| 1900-2 |
Naval Brigade, Cape Station |
|
| 1902 |
Student, Portsmouth and Greenwich |
|
| 1903 |
Sublieutenant
|
BB Implacable |
| 1903-9 |
Executive officer, Locust |
|
| 1904 |
Lieutenant |
|
| 1908 |
Commander, Torpedo Boat 14 |
|
| 1911 |
Commander, DD Scorpion |
|
| 1915 |
Commander |
|
| 1919 |
Seafire |
|
| 1920 |
Captain |
|
| 1922 |
Commander, 6 Destroyer Flotilla |
|
| 1923 |
Commander, 1 Destroyer Flotilla |
|
| 1924 |
Commander, Port Edgar Destroyer
Base |
|
| 1926 |
Flag Captain, American and West
Indies Station |
|
| 1928 |
Imperial Defense College |
|
| 1930 |
Commander, BB Rodney |
|
| 1931 |
Commodore, Royal Navy Barracks,
Chatham |
|
| 1932-9 |
Rear admiral |
Aide-de-camp to the King |
| 1933-12 |
|
Commander, Destroyer Flotilla,
Mediterranean Fleet |
| 1936-7 |
Vice admiral |
|
| 1937 |
Commander, Battle Cruiser
Squadron, Mediterranean Fleet |
|
| 1938-10 |
Deputy chief of the Naval Staff |
|
| 1939-6 |
Admiral |
Commander, Mediterranean Station |
| 1942-6 |
British Naval Representative,
Combined Chiefs of Staff, Washington |
|
| 1942-9 |
Naval commander, Operation TORCH |
|
| 1943-1 |
Admiral of the
Fleet |
Commander, Allied Naval Forces,
Mediterranean |
| 1943-10-4
|
First Sea Lord |
|
| 1946 |
Retires |
|
| 1963-6-12 |
Dies at London |
References
Royal
Navy Museum (accessed 2008-1-18)
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia © 2007 by Kent G. Budge. Index
