Sackville Hamilton Carden

Admiral SIR Sackville Hamilton Carden, K.C.M.G., Royal Navy (3 May, 1857 – 6 May, 1930) was an officer of the Royal Navy.

Early Life & Career

Sackville Hamilton Carden, the third son of Captain Andrew Carden, of the 60th Rifles, by his first wife, Anne, eldest daughter of Lieutenant-General Sackville Hamilton Berkeley, was born at Templemore, co. Tipperary, 3 May 1857. He entered the royal navy in 1870. Early in his career he was fortunate in seeing a good deal of war service. Before he reached captain's rank he had taken part in the Egyptian and Sudan campaigns, 1882–1884, and, under Admiral Sir Harry Holdsworth Rawson [q.v.] , one of the most efficient officers of his time, had served in the Benin expedition of 1897. He was promoted to the rank of Captain on 31 December, 1899. Carden was advanced to the rank of rear-admiral in 1908. He was for two years on half-pay, and then hoisted his flag in the battleship London as rear-admiral in the Atlantic fleet, an appointment which was only tenable for one year. This short period at sea was followed by special service at the Admiralty, and then, in August 1912, Carden was selected for the position of admiral superintendent of Malta dockyard, an appointment which is usually regarded as a precursor to retirement from service.

Great War

But events conspired to defeat any such purpose, had it been officially entertained, for upon the outbreak of the European War in August 1914, Carden was forced into the forefront of the struggle by the circumstances which followed upon the escape of the German battle-cruiser Goeben from the Mediterranean into Turkish waters. Although Admiral Sir Berkeley Milne, the commander-in-chief in the Mediterranean, was held to have been blameless for this untoward incident, his continued presence in southern waters was incompatible, owing to his seniority, with the assumption by the French of the command of all the allied naval forces in the Mediterranean in accordance with a naval convention concluded between the Allies soon after the outbreak of the War. Carden, who had just attained the rank of Vice-Admiral, was thereupon chosen (20 September 1914) for the command of the British battle squadron which was associated with the French forces.

Following the closing of the Dardanelles by the Turks (27 September), war had been declared between Great Britain and Turkey on 5 November, and simultaneously French and British warships, under the command of Admiral Carden, had carried out a preliminary bombardment of the outer forts of the Straits. In a 23 December letter to Fisher, now First Sea Lord, Churchill scathingly noted, "As for Carden, he has never commanded a cruiser squadron, and I am not aware of anything that he has done which is in any way remarkable." This ignores the fact that Carden had at least commanded a division of battleships, as Rear-Admiral in the Atlantic Fleet, which was certainly more sea-going experience than Limpus had. When, in January 1915, definite proposals to occupy the Gallipoli peninsula were being debated in the War Council on the initiative of the first lord of the Admiralty, Mr. Winston Churchill, Admiral Carden was asked by the Admiralty whether, in his opinion, the Dardanelles could be forced by naval action without military support. He replied that the Straits could not be ‘rushed’, but that the forts might be silenced by extended operations, employing a large number of men-of-war. He subsequently drew up a detailed plan, involving the systematic demolition of the fortifications and a subsequent invasion of the peninsula. Violent differences of opinion developed in the War Council as to the wisdom of undertaking operations in accordance with this plan and at that precise juncture in the War. Preparations for carrying out Carden's scheme were nevertheless begun, with the concurrence of the French and Russian governments. Strenuous opposition to this diversion of forces was subsequently offered by Lord Fisher, the First Sea Lord; but, in spite of his objections, approval of the Dardanelles operations was given by the War Council on 28 January. Arrangements were accordingly made for the assembly of such men-of-war as were considered necessary, and the 29th division was eventually chosen (10 March) to co-operate with the naval forces.

The first phase of the operations against the Dardanelles, the systematic bombardment of the outer forts, was begun on 19 February with the support of a large force of ships of all classes, British and French, under the supreme command of Carden. Subsequently, it became known that successive bombardments of both the outer and intermediate defences (25 February—8 March) had proved in no sense decisive, as the Turks, warned by the preliminary attacks, had under German guidance greatly strengthened the defences on the peninsula, besides developing the mine-fields to a point of efficiency which exceeded the expectations of British naval officers. The attacks were undertaken under conditions of considerable embarrassment owing to the differences of opinion in the War Council; and the full responsibility of command rested with Carden, although he had the support of Admiral Guépratte, in command of the French squadron, and of two British flag officers, Rear-Admirals Sir John M. de Robeck and Rosslyn E. Wemyss (afterwards Lord Wester-Wemyss). The strain on an officer who had not been employed at sea for several years and who was then nearly sixty years of age, rapidly undermined Carden's health. He was forced at length, on 16 March, to relinquish his command and to return home, being succeeded by Rear-Admiral de Robeck. On that day Fisher noted in a letter to Jellicoe, "Who expected Carden to be in command of a big fleet? He was made Admiral Superintendent of Malta to shelve him!"

From April until June, 1915 Carden was appointed to the Admiralty on special service, and on 1 September, 1917 he was promoted to the rank of Admiral, and placed on the retired list at his own request on 23 October. He died at Lymington 6 May, 1930. Though controversy continued as to the wisdom of the advice which he had given to the Admiralty on the practicability of forcing the Dardanelles, Carden took no part in it. He was content to leave the official records to exonerate or condemn him for the part which he had played. He was conscious that he had throughout been supported by the Admiralty, notwithstanding that the first sea lord had come to regard the attack on the Dardanelles as unwise in view of its reactions on projects of his own conception, and Lord Kitchener had wavered in his views on the desirability of a scheme which, it soon became apparent, required military co-operation on a considerable scale.

Carden, who was created K.C.M.G. in 1916, married twice: first, in 1879 Maria Louisa, daughter of Captain Loftus J. Nunn, of the 99th Foot; secondly, in 1909 Henrietta, daughter of William English Harrison, K.C., of Hitchin, Hertfordshire. He had one daughter, by his first marriage.

Bibliography

• "Admiral Sir Sackville Carden" (Obituaries). The Times. Thursday, 8 May, 1930. Issue 45507, col C, pg. 18.
• Template:BibFGDNIII

Service Records

• The National Archives. ADM 196/38.
• The National Archives. ADM 196/20.

Naval Offices
Preceded by Sir Colin R. Keppel	Rear-Admiral in the Admiral Fleet 1910 – 1911	Succeeded by Christopher G. F. M. Cradock
Preceded by Ernest A. Simons	Admiral Superintendent of Malta Dockyard 1912 – 1914	Succeeded by George A. Ballard
Preceded by Sir A. Berkeley Milne, Bart.	Vice-Admiral Commanding, Eastern Mediterranean Squadron 1914 – 1915	Succeeded by Sir John M. de Robeck