http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_...am_of_Hyndhope
Admiral_Andrew_Cunningham.jpg
Andrew Browne Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope,
KT,
GCB,
OM,
DSO** (
7 January 1883 –
12 June 1963), older brother of
General Sir Alan Cunningham, was a
British admiral of the
Second World War. He is often referred to by his initials "ABC."
Cunningham was born in
Dublin on
7 January 1883 and he attended several schools and colleges before he was enrolled at a Naval Academy, at the age of 10, where his association with the Navy started. After passing out of
Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, in 1898, he progressed rapidly in rank. He commanded a destroyer during the
First World War and through most of the interwar period. For his performance during this time he was awarded the
Distinguished Service Order and two
Bars, specifically for his actions in the
Dardanelles and in the
Baltics.
In the
Second World War, as
Commander-in-Chief,
Mediterranean Fleet, Cunningham led British naval forces in several critical
Mediterranean naval battles. These included the
attack on Taranto in 1940, the first carrier-based air attack in history,
[1] and the
Battle of Cape Matapan in 1941. Cunningham was also responsible for the on-going struggle to
supply Malta and oversight of the naval support for the various major allied landings in the Mediterranean
littoral. In 1943, Cunningham was promoted to
First Sea Lord, a position he held until his retirement in 1946. After his retirement Cunningham enjoyed several ceremonial positions including
Lord High Steward at the
coronation of
Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. He died on
12 June 1963.