Andrew Browne Cunningham 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope

Andrew Browne Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope , 1883-1963, British admiral. A long-seasoned naval officer—he fought in the South African War and World War I—Cunningham was (1939-42) commander in the Mediterranean, which he kept open to the British. He was later naval commander in the expedition against N Africa (1942-43), commander in chief of the Allied naval forces in the Mediterranean (1943), and first sea lord and chief of the naval staff (1943-46). He retired and was created viscount in 1946.

Bibliography: See his memoirs, A Sailor's Odyssey (1951); biography by O. Warner (1967).

Cunningham, Andrew Browne, Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope (1883–1963) British admiral. At the beginning of World War II he was commander-in-chief in the Mediterranean. Here he was faced with an Italian fleet that was numerically superior to his own. However, he asserted British domination by his air attack on the Italian base of Taranto in 1940, and at Cape Matapan in 1941, where his victory effectually neutralized the Italian fleet for the rest of the war. As First Sea Lord from 1943 he was responsible for naval strategy and attended the meetings of Allied heads of government.

Cunningham, Andrew Browne, Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope (b. 7 Jan. 1883, d. 12 June 1963). British First Sea Lord 1943–6 Born in Dublin, he was educated at the Edinburgh Academy and Stubbington House (Fareham). He joined the Royal Navy in 1898, and served with distinction in the Dardanelles in World War I. At the beginning of World War II, he was Commander-in-Chief of the British Mediterranean fleet, and in November 1940 he launched a successful air attack on the Italian fleet at Taranto. He also achieved success in the March 1941 naval battle at Cape Matapan, where he effectually neutralized the Italian fleet for the remainder of the war. From June to October 1942, he headed the admiralty delegation in Washington, and in January 1943 returned to the Mediterranean as Commander-in-Chief. He was Allied Naval Commander for the attacks on Italy later that year. As First Sea Lord from October 1943 until 1946 he was involved in co-ordinating the British fleet on D-Day, and during the Pacific Campaign.