South America Station

Commander-in-Chief
South America
The capture of USS Essex by Phoebe and Cherub off Valparaíso, 28 March 1814
Country United Kingdom
Branch Royal Navy
TypeFormation

The South America Station was a formation of the Royal Navy which existed from 1808 to 1838 when it was split into the Pacific Station and the South East Coast of America Station.

Following the invasion of Portugal by Napoleon, the Portuguese court escaped to Brazil with an escort of the Royal Navy under the command of Admiral Sidney Smith. Following the establishment of the Portuguese Court in Rio de Janeiro in early 1808, was shortly followed by the reinforcement of Smith's escort and the establishment of the Brazil or South America Station.

The commander-in-chief heading the formation played a diplomatic role in South America in the early nineteenth century as the British diplomatic service was limited to having a representative in Brazil.[1]

  1. ^ Thienel, Phillip M. (1963). "Review: The Navy and South America, 1801-1823: the Correspondence of the Commanders-in-Chief on the South American Station". The Americas. 20 (2): 223–224. doi:10.2307/979149. ISSN 0003-1615. JSTOR 979149.