Sackville Hamilton Carden

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Sir Sackville H. Carden, 1918.
© National Portrait Gallery, London.

Admiral SIR Sackville Hamilton Carden, K.C.M.G., R.N. (3 May, 1857 – 6 May, 1930) was an officer of the Royal Navy. He is chiefly remembered today as Vice-Admiral Commanding the Eastern Mediterranean Squadron in the run-up to the Dardanelles Campaign.

Early Life & Career

Carden was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant with seniority of 4 February, 1881.[1]

On 28 December, 1881, he ran the gunboat Banterer aground. A Court of Inquiry was followed by a Court Martial. Carden was "found guilty of negligently suffering the Banterer to be stranded on a shoal off Mutton Island" and severely reprimanded and dismissed the ship.[2]

Carden was promoted to the rank of Commander on 1 January, 1894.[3]

He was promoted to the rank of Captain on 31 December, 1899.[4]

He was appointed in command of the battleship Magnificent in October 1902.

He served as captain of the battleship Irresistible from November 1904 until December of the following year.

He was given command of battleship Repulse some time in March 1906, and then returned to command of Magnificent in December of that year.

As soon as he completed that posting, he took command of the battleship Agamemnon on 21 May, 1907.[5]

Flag Rank

Carden was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral on 15 November, 1908, vice Finnis.[6]

Great War

On 27 August Carden was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral, vice Fisher.[7] He was superseded at Malta on 20 September and on 23 September assumed command of the Eastern Mediterranean Squadron flying his flag in Indefatigable.[8]

Following the Scarborough Raid in December Fisher suggested replacing Warrender in command of the Second Battle Squadron with Carden immediately, as "Oliver [Chief of the War Staff] says he is A.I."[9] In reply Churchill noted rather unfairly, "As for Carden, he has never commanded a Cruiser Squadron, & I am not aware of anything that he has done wh. is in any way remarkable. You were vy. angry with him some time ago about circling Malta with his 3 submarines."[10]

On 16 March he relinquished command and went on the Sick List temporarily,[11] 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!"[12] It will be recalled that mere months earlier Fisher had been all for giving Carden command of one of the most important squadrons in the Grand Fleet.

He left Malta for Britain viâ Marseilles on 1 April. From 7 April until 7 June, 1915 Carden was appointed to the Admiralty on Special Service, whilst he waited to be found fit.[13] He was appointed an Additional Member of the Second Class, or Knight Commander, of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (K.C.M.G.) on 1 January, 1916.[14]

On 1 September, 1917 he was promoted to the rank of Admiral, vice Slade,[15] and placed on the retired list at his own request on 23 October.[16]

Retirement

He died at Lymington 6 May, 1930.

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.

See Also

  • "Admiral Sir Sackville Carden" (Obituaries). The Times. Thursday, 8 May, 1930. Issue 45507, col C, p. 18.
  • Wikipedia
  • Fisher of Kilverstone, Lord (1959). Marder, Arthur J.. ed. Fear God and Dread Nought: The Correspondence of Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher of Kilverstone: Restoration, Abdication and Last Years, 1914-1920. Volume III. London: Jonathan Cape.

Service Records

Naval Appointments
Preceded by
Sir Colin R. Keppel
Rear-Admiral in the Atlantic Fleet
1910 – 1911
Succeeded by
Christopher G. F. M. Cradock

Preceded by
Sir A. Berkeley Milne, Bart.
Vice-Admiral Commanding,
Eastern Mediterranean Squadron

1914 – 1915
Succeeded by
Sir John M. de Robeck

Naval Appointments
Preceded by
Frederick S. Pelham
Captain of H.M.S. Andromache
10 Jul, 1900[17]
Succeeded by
Francis A. R. Bowles
Preceded by
Arthur A. C. Galloway
Captain of H.M.S. Immortalité
21 May, 1901[18] – 1902
Succeeded by
Archibald P. Stoddart
Preceded by
Arthur J. Horsley
Captain of H.M.S. Magnificent
16 Oct, 1902[19] – 2 Feb, 1904[20]
Succeeded by
Arthur M. Farquhar
Preceded by
Henry P. Routh
Captain of H.M.S. Victorious
2 Feb, 1904[21] – 10 Oct, 1904[22]
Succeeded by
Ernest C. T. Troubridge
Preceded by
George M. Henderson
Captain of H.M.S. Irresistible
25 Nov, 1904[23] – 20 Dec, 1905[24]
Succeeded by
Reginald H. S. Bacon
Preceded by
Herbert L. Heath
Captain of H.M.S. Repulse
19 Mar, 1906[25] – 3 Dec, 1906[26]
Succeeded by
Charles E. Kingsmill
Preceded by
Richard B. Farquhar
Captain of H.M.S. Magnificent
3 Dec, 1906[27] – 21 May, 1907[28]
Succeeded by
Edward F. B. Charlton
Preceded by
New Command
Captain of H.M.S. Agamemnon
21 May, 1907[29][30] – 21 Dec, 1908[31]
Succeeded by
Bernard Currey
Preceded by
Sir Robert K. Arbuthnot, Bart.
Captain of H.M.S. Lord Nelson
23 Jan, 1908[32] – 4 Feb, 1908[33]
Succeeded by
Douglas R. L. Nicholson
Preceded by
Sir Colin R. Keppel
Second-in-Command, Atlantic Fleet
26 Aug, 1910
Succeeded by
Sir Christopher G. F. M. Cradock
Preceded by
Ernest A. Simons
Admiral Superintendent, Malta Dockyard
3 Aug, 1912[34] – Sep, 1914[35]
Succeeded by
Sir Arthur H. Limpus
Preceded by
?
Vice-Admiral Commanding, Eastern Mediterranean Squadron
20 Sep, 1914[36]
Succeeded by
Sir John M. de Robeck

Footnotes

  1. The London Gazette: no. 24934. p. 547. 8 February, 1881.
  2. Carden Service Record. In our PDF for Arthur William Carter. The National Archives. ADM 196/38. f. 199.
  3. The London Gazette: no. 26471. p. 7581. 29 December, 1893.
  4. The London Gazette: no. 27150. p. 3. 2 January, 1900.
  5. The Navy List. (October, 1908). p. 273.
  6. The London Gazette: no. 28201. p. 9182. 1 December, 1908.
  7. The London Gazette: no. 28881. p. 6794. 28 August, 1914.
  8. Carden Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/38. f. 186.
  9. Fisher to Churchill. Letter of 23 December, 1912. Churchill Papers. Churchill Archives Centre. CHAR 13/28/78.
  10. Churchill to Fisher. Draft letter of 23 December, 1914. Churchill Papers. Churchill Archives Centre. CHAR 13/28/74.
  11. Carden Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/38. f. 185.
  12. Fear God and Dread Nought. III. p. 166.
  13. Carden Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/38. f. 185.
  14. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 29423. p. 83. 1 January, 1916.
  15. The London Gazette: no. 30267. p. 9151. 4 September, 1917.
  16. The London Gazette: no. 30369. p. 11474. 6 November, 1917.
  17. "The Naval Mobilization." The Times (London, England), 11 July 1900, p. 9.
  18. The Navy List. (May, 1902). p. 268.
  19. Carden Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/38. f. 186.
  20. Carden Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/38. f. 186.
  21. Carden Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/38. f. 186.
  22. Carden Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/38. f. 186.
  23. Carden Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/38. f. 186.
  24. Carden Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/38. f. 186.
  25. Carden Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/38. f. 186.
  26. Carden Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/38. f. 186.
  27. Carden Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/38. f. 186.
  28. Carden Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/38. f. 186.
  29. The Navy List. (October, 1908). p. 273.
  30. Carden Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/38. f. 186.
  31. Carden Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/38. f. 186.
  32. Carden Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/38. f. 186.
  33. Carden Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/38. f. 186.
  34. "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Tuesday, 16 July, 1912. Issue 39952, col D, p. 13.
  35. Mackie, Colin. ROYAL NAVY SENIOR APPOINTMENTS.
  36. Carden Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/38. f. 185.