Sackville Hamilton Carden

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.

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.

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

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

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.

Flag Rank

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

Great War

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 He was superseded at Malta on 20 September and on 23 September assumed command of the Eastern Mediterranean Squadron flying his flag in Indefatigable.

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." 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."

On 16 March he relinquished command and went on the Sick List temporarily, 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!" 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. 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.

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

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

• The National Archives. ADM 196/87.
• The National Archives. ADM 196/38.
• The National Archives. ADM 196/20.

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	Succeeded by Francis A. R. Bowles
Preceded by Arthur A. C. Galloway	Captain of H.M.S. Immortalité 21 May, 1901 – 1902	Succeeded by Archibald P. Stoddart
Preceded by Arthur J. Horsley	Captain of H.M.S. Magnificent 16 Oct, 1902 – 2 Feb, 1904	Succeeded by Arthur M. Farquhar
Preceded by Henry P. Routh	Captain of H.M.S. Victorious 2 Feb, 1904 – 10 Oct, 1904	Succeeded by Ernest C. T. Troubridge
Preceded by George M. Henderson	Captain of H.M.S. Irresistible 25 Nov, 1904 – 20 Dec, 1905	Succeeded by Reginald H. S. Bacon
Preceded by Herbert L. Heath	Captain of H.M.S. Repulse 19 Mar, 1906 – 3 Dec, 1906	Succeeded by Charles E. Kingsmill
Preceded by Richard B. Farquhar	Captain of H.M.S. Magnificent 3 Dec, 1906 – 21 May, 1907	Succeeded by Edward F. B. Charlton
Preceded by New Command	Captain of H.M.S. Agamemnon 21 May, 1907 – 21 Dec, 1908	Succeeded by Bernard Currey
Preceded by Sir Robert K. Arbuthnot, Bart.	Captain of H.M.S. Lord Nelson 23 Jan, 1908 – 4 Feb, 1908	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 – Sep, 1914	Succeeded by Sir Arthur H. Limpus
Preceded by ?	Vice-Admiral Commanding, Eastern Mediterranean Squadron 20 Sep, 1914	Succeeded by Sir John M. de Robeck