Downs Station

The Downs Station also known as the Commander-in-Chief, the Downs was a former formation of the Kingdom of Great Britain and then the United Kingdom's Royal Navy based at Deal it was considered a major command of the Royal Navy from 1777 until 1834.

History
The Downs station was the name an naval area of sea during the 17th to 19th centuries it served as permanent base for the navy operating out of Deal for warships patrolling the North Sea during the age of sail the command generally covered an area in the southern North Sea near the English Channel off the east Kent coast it is primarily known in Naval History for the earlier Battle of the Downs that took place in 1639 however at that point there was no specific geographic command established until 1777 the station lasted until 1815 when it was absorbed into the Nore Command who's role and geographic area of responsibility was re-defined by the Admiralty.

Commander in chiefs
Incomplete list includes: Station not active 1782 to 1790 Station not active 1791 to 1793 Temporary command in absence of senior officer *
 * Commodore, Thomas Allin, 1663-1664
 * Commodore John Elliot, 1777-1778
 * Vice-Admiral Matthew Buckle, 1778-1779
 * Vice-Admiral Francis William Drake, 1779-1782
 * Rear-Admiral John Evans, 1780-1781 *
 * Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Hughes, 1781-1782 *
 * Rear-Admiral Sir Richard King, 1790-1791
 * Rear-Admiral John MacBride, 1793-1794
 * Vice-Admiral Joseph Peyton, 1794-1799
 * Rear-Admiral John Bazely, 1796-1797 *
 * Vice-Admiral Skeffington Lutwidge, 1799-1802
 * Rear-Admiral Edward Thornbrough, 1803
 * Vice-Admiral Philip Patton, 1803-1804
 * Vice-Admiral John Holloway, 1804-1807
 * Vice-Admiral Bartholomew Rowley, 1807-1808
 * Vice-Admiral George Campbell, 1808-1811
 * Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Foley, 1811-1815
 * Rear-Admiral, William Hall Gage, 1833.