World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseAndrew Browne "ABC" Cunningham had been a member of the Royal Navy as early as 1897. He was a veteran of the South African War (1899-1902) and WW1. During WW2, he was commander-in-chief of the Mediterranean from 1939 to 1942, and again in 1943. His outstanding naval record led to his appointment as the overall Allied naval commander under General Dwight Eisenhower in 1942 during the North African and Sicilian campaigns. He served as First Sea Lord and Chief Naval Staff from 1943 to 1945. He was absolutely loyal to the British naval tradition, always ordering his captains to fight aggressively and not "let the army down". "It takes three years to build a ship", he said, "it takes three centuries to build a tradition".

ww2dbase"He was the Nelsonian type of admiral", recalled Dwight Eisenhower. "He believed that ships went to sea in order to find and destroy the enemy. He thought always in terms of attack, never of defense." During the Battle off Calabria in Jul 1940, he ordered his flagship, the HMS Warspite, in a bitter chase against the Italian fleet. Then at the Battle off Matapan, he chased the Italian fleet once again and sank three cruisers during the night time action. "He was a real sea dog," added Eisenhower.

ww2dbaseIn terms of royal titles, in 1939 he was made a Knight Commander of the Bath in 1939. In 1945 he was made a Knight of the Thistle and appointed to the House of Lords as Baron Cunningham of Hyndhope. In 1946 he was admitted to the Order of Merit and named a Viscount. He acted as Lord High Steward at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

ww2dbaseHe retired from Royal Navy service in 1946, and passed away in 1963.

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Andrew Cunningham Timeline