Sackville Hamilton Carden

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Sir Sackville H. Carden, seen as a Vice-Admiral in mourning, 1915.

Admiral SIR Sackville Hamilton Carden, K.C.M.G., Royal Navy (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]

Carden was promoted to the rank of Commander on 1 January, 1894.[2]

He was promoted to the rank of Captain on 31 December, 1899.[3]

He was appointed command of the battleship Agamemnon on 21 May, 1907.[4]

Flag Rank

Carden was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral on 15 November, 1908, vice Finnis.[5]

Great War

On 27 August, 1914, Carden was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral, vice Fisher.[6]

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."[7] 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.

On 16 March he relinquished command and went on the Sick List, 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!"[8]

From April until June, 1915 Carden was appointed to the Admiralty on special service. 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.[9]

On 1 September, 1917 he was promoted to the rank of Admiral, vice Slade,[10] and placed on the retired list at his own request on 23 October.[11]

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.

Footnotes

  1. London Gazette: no. 24934. p. 547. 8 February, 1881.
  2. London Gazette: no. 26471. p. 7581. 29 December, 1893.
  3. London Gazette: no. 27150. p. 3. 2 January, 1900.
  4. The Navy List (October, 1908). p. 273.
  5. London Gazette: no. 28201. p. 9182. 1 December, 1908.
  6. London Gazette: no. 28881. p. 6794. 28 August, 1914.
  7. Quoted in Marder. From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow. II. p. 231.
  8. Fear God and Dread Nought. III. p. 166.
  9. London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 29423. p. 83. 1 January, 1916.
  10. London Gazette: no. 30267. p. 9151. 4 September, 1917.
  11. London Gazette: no. 30369. p. 11474. 6 November, 1917.

Bibliography

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

See Also

Naval Appointments
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

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