| Downs Station | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1626–1834 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Type | Naval formation |
| Part of | Royal Navy |
| Garrison/HQ | Deal, Kent, England |
The Downs Station[1] also known as the Commander-in-Chief, the Downs[2] or Admiral Commanding at the Downs[3] was a formation of the Kingdom of Great Britain and then the United Kingdom's Royal Navy based at Deal. It was a major command of the Royal Navy from 1626 until 1834.[4]
The Downs is a roadstead (area of sheltered, favourable sea) in the southern North Sea near the English Channel off the east Kent coast. It is primarily known in naval history for the Dutch defeat of the Spanish in the Battle of the Downs in 1639.
- ^ Clarke, James Stanier; McArthur, John (2 September 2010). The Naval Chronicle: Volume 27, January-July 1812: Containing a General and Biographical History of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom with a Variety of Original Papers on Nautical Subjects. Cambridge University Press. p. 43. ISBN 9781108018661.
- ^ Papers, Relative to Correspondence between Sir Home Popham and the Admiralty, between 1 January 1787 and 31st December 1792. Oxford University. 1808. p. 198.
- ^ Charnock 1794, pp. 29–31.
- ^ Lee, Christopher (20 November 2014). Nelson and Napoleon: The Long Haul to Trafalgar. Faber & Faber. pp. Chapter 7. ISBN 9780571321681.