Commander RDS Crosse, Staff Officer Convoys, (left) discussing a special convoy movement map with Captain Lake, RN, Duty Officer in the Operations Room at Derby House, Liverpool.
Commander-in-Chief, Western Approacheswas the commander of a major operational command of theRoyal NavyduringWorld War II.The admiral commanding, and his forces, sometimes informally known as 'Western Approaches Command,' were responsible for the safety of British shipping in theWestern Approaches.
After the fall of France in June 1940, the main North Atlanticconvoyroutes were diverted around the north of Ireland through the north-western approaches.[2]By late 1940, the location of the Combined Operations headquarters at Plymouth was increasingly awkward and the decision was taken to move the Combined Operations headquarters toLiverpool.[2]On 7 February 1941, the headquarters was established atDerby House,Liverpool,[2]with a secondary control bunker built inMagee College,Derry.[3]Derby House was designated HMSEaglet;shore establishments were often given ship ( "stone frigate") names to meet the requirement that their Navy personnel be borne upon the books of a specific ship. The headquarters ofNo. 15 Group RAF(part ofCoastal Command) moved to Liverpool at the same time.[4]On 17 February 1941 AdmiralSir Percy Noblewas appointed as the new Commander-in-Chief, Western Approaches Command.[2]TheWestern Approaches Tactical Unit(WATU) was formed in January 1942 to develop and disseminate new tactics to counter German submarine attacks on trans-Atlantic shipping convoys. WATU took up residency on the top floor of Derby House.[5]
Over the next two years, Admiral Noble built up the bases for the North Atlantic escort groups atGreenockon the Clyde,DerryandLiverpooland set up the training facilities that were the foundations for eventual victory in theBattle of the Atlantic.[6]
On 19 November 1942, AdmiralMax Hortonreplaced Admiral Noble; Horton then was Commander-in-Chief until Western Approaches Command closed on 15 August 1945.[2]
Horton’s leadership played a vital role in the final defeat of the U-boat menace. Horton used the increasing number of escorts that were available to the command to organize "support groups" that were used to reinforceconvoysthat came under attack.[7]Unlike the regular escort groups, the support groups were not directly responsible for the safety of any particular convoy. This freedom gave them much greatertacticalflexibility, allowing the support groups to detach ships to huntsubmarinesspotted by reconnaissance or picked up by high-frequency direction finding (HF/DF). In situations where the regular escorts would have had to return to their convoy, the support groups were able to persist in hunting a submarine for many hours until it was forced to the surface.
TheWestern Approaches Tactical Unit(WATU) was also based in Western Approaches HQ and was located in the top floor of the original Exchange Buildings on the opposite side of Exchange Square to Derby House. The unit was commanded by Captain Gilbert Roberts and was staffed almost entirely by women.
The reinforced central core of the command bunker at Derby House proved too costly to demolish, and so whilst the rest of the building has been converted to modern offices, the bunker has been restored as a museum, open to the public. The areas open to visitors are only a small part of the original complex. The museum is known as theWestern Approaches Museum.[2]
Following years of neglect, the site was taken over by non-profit organisation Big Heritage in 2017,[8]which saw an extensive restoration of the site and the discovery of new hidden parts of the bunker complex. The reopened site has seen a large increase in visitor numbers, and now ranks as one of the most popular historic sites in Liverpool.
During the lockdown as a result of COVID-19, Big Heritage reopened several previously undiscovered rooms, as well as restored the main chart in the operations room.[9]