Sackville Hamilton Carden Biography

Birth of Sackville Hamilton Carden

Carden joins the Royal Navy and begins the naval career that eventually takes him to senior command.

Carden serves with the Royal Navy during the Egyptian campaign, gaining early active-service experience.

Carden serves during operations connected with the Sudan campaign, adding further active-service experience to his naval career.

Appointed Captain

Carden's Benin Expedition service contributes to the campaign honours associated with his Victorian naval career.

Carden serves in the Benin Expedition under Rear-Admiral Harry Rawson.

Carden is promoted to captain in December 1899, correcting the supplied 1887 captain date.

Carden takes command of HMS Immortalité, the seagoing tender to Wildfire at Sheerness.

As captain of Immortalité, Carden performs seagoing tender duties for the Sheerness flagship establishment.

Soon after taking command, Carden takes HMS Magnificent to Gibraltar during a Channel Squadron cruise.

Carden takes HMS Magnificent to Tetuan during the same early command cruise that includes Gibraltar.

Carden is appointed captain of HMS Magnificent, flagship of the Channel Squadron's second-in-command.

While under Carden's command, HMS Magnificent serves within the reorganised Channel Fleet structure.

Following fleet reorganisation, HMS Magnificent becomes part of the Atlantic Fleet while Carden remains associated with the battleship.

A six-inch gun accident aboard HMS Magnificent causes multiple casualties during Carden's period in command.

After promotion to rear admiral, Carden spends roughly two years on half-pay before returning to a fleet appointment.

Appointed Rear Admiral

Carden is promoted to rear admiral after his service in major battleship commands.

Carden returns to active flag service with an appointment in the Atlantic Fleet.

Carden raises his flag aboard HMS London while serving with the Atlantic Fleet.

Carden returns to London for an Admiralty posting after his Atlantic Fleet service.

Carden assumes responsibility for dockyard administration, repair capacity and naval support facilities at Malta.

Carden becomes Admiral Superintendent of Malta Dockyard in August 1912.

Carden oversees Malta's dockyard readiness and support functions during the final pre-war year.

Carden's Malta appointment ends as the Royal Navy shifts fully onto a wartime footing in the Mediterranean.

Carden directs British naval patrol and readiness duties in the eastern Mediterranean as regional tensions increase.

Carden assumes command of the Eastern Mediterranean Squadron during the opening months of the First World War.

Carden strengthens the watch on the Dardanelles entrance as Allied planners consider operations against Ottoman defences.

Carden conducts reconnaissance of the Ottoman forts and mine defences guarding the Dardanelles entrance.

Carden concentrates Allied naval forces outside the Dardanelles after the Ottoman Empire enters the war.

Ottoman entry into the war turns Carden's squadron toward blockade, reconnaissance and possible operations against the Dardanelles.

Carden reviews ships, bases and logistical arrangements required for sustained naval operations near the Dardanelles.

Carden plans to suppress intermediate batteries and mobile guns after reducing the entrance forts.

Carden makes systematic minesweeping essential before battleships can safely approach the Narrows.

Carden's phased scheme culminates in close attack on the forts defending the Narrows once a safe channel is created.

Carden identifies the entrance forts at Cape Helles and Kum Kale as the first targets of the naval operation.

Churchill asks Carden whether the Dardanelles can be forced by ships alone and requests his professional assessment.

Carden replies that a sudden rush through the Straits is impracticable but sustained operations with sufficient force may succeed.

Carden proposes reducing forts, suppressing mobile guns and clearing minefields rather than attempting a rapid passage.

Carden submits a staged plan for reducing Ottoman forts and clearing the Dardanelles minefields.

Carden's plan includes six submarines for operations beyond and within the Straits.

Carden asks for sixteen destroyers to support the fleet during the proposed Dardanelles operation.

Carden includes three battlecruisers in the force he considers necessary for sustained operations in the Straits.

Carden's force proposal includes three light cruisers for reconnaissance, support and protection duties.

Carden's scheme requests twelve battleships as the core heavy force for the proposed Dardanelles operation.

Carden requests twelve minesweepers because clearing Ottoman minefields is essential to any advance toward the Narrows.

The War Council approves preparation for a naval expedition based on Carden's staged Dardanelles scheme.

Seaplane carrier HMS Ark Royal provides aerial observation support for the Dardanelles operation under Carden.

Carden begins implementing a phased plan to destroy outer forts, clear mines and attack the Narrows.

Rear-Admiral John de Robeck becomes Carden's second-in-command, flying his flag in HMS Vengeance.

Carden concludes that troops ashore would improve observation and help naval gunfire deal with concealed and mobile batteries.

The new battleship HMS Queen Elizabeth joins the powerful Allied force assembled for Carden's operation.

Commodore Roger Keyes joins Carden as Chief of Staff and becomes closely involved in minesweeping and operational planning.

Carden requests approximately ten thousand troops for limited landings after the outer forts have been silenced.

Kitchener declines Carden's request for troops, leaving the operation dependent on naval bombardment and minesweeping.

The approved operation receives additional British and French warships, submarines, destroyers and minesweeping trawlers.

HMS Cornwallis and HMS Vengeance answer Ottoman fire during the first major day of Carden's February operation.

Carden employs long-range fire from outside effective Ottoman gun range as the opening method against the entrance forts.

Ottoman batteries fire on British destroyers probing the entrance before the main bombardment develops.

Carden directs the opening Allied bombardment of Ottoman forts guarding the entrance to the Dardanelles.

The opening bombardment suppresses portions of the outer defences but does not permanently destroy the fortifications.

Carden pauses renewed attacks when poor weather prevents effective naval bombardment.

Carden resumes the naval assault and heavily engages the outer forts near Cape Helles.

Carden's fleet moves farther into the Straits after Ottoman resistance at some outer positions is reduced.

Allied battleships engage intermediate batteries as Carden moves from the entrance phase toward operations deeper in the Straits.

Naval landing parties inspect and demolish guns at outer positions after bombardment has reduced Ottoman resistance there.

Carden sends demolition parties ashore to destroy abandoned Ottoman guns and fort installations.

Carden's command experiments with sending trawlers upstream before turning to sweep with the current through the minefields.

Royal Navy volunteers increasingly replace reluctant civilian trawler crews in attempts to improve minesweeping under fire.

Carden shifts much minesweeping work to darkness in an attempt to reduce exposure to Ottoman guns and observation.

Ottoman searchlights illuminate slow trawlers at night, allowing shore batteries to interfere repeatedly with minesweeping.

Some civilian trawler crews fail to stream minesweeping gear when Ottoman fire becomes intense during an attempted sweep.

A night attempt sends trawlers without close battleship protection in hopes of surprising Ottoman defenders.

Carden's trawler minesweepers struggle against current, searchlights and mobile artillery while operated largely by civilian crews.

Battleships bombard intermediate positions while minesweepers begin the difficult effort to clear a passage toward the Narrows.

HMS Amethyst supports six minesweepers during a costly attempt to clear mines under heavy Ottoman fire.

Several trawlers are hit during minesweeping operations, demonstrating the vulnerability of the improvised sweeping force.

French minesweepers make another attempt under covering fire but fail to open the required passage through the minefields.

Further minesweeping is attempted under Carden's command as the fleet struggles to create a safe channel toward the Narrows.

Another minesweeping effort continues under Commodore Keyes while Carden presses for progress against the mine barrier.

Commodore Keyes leads naval volunteers in another determined attempt to clear mines and suppress searchlights in the Straits.

Carden intensifies attacks on forts covering the Narrows while minesweeping remains incomplete.

Carden's forces precede the volunteer minesweeping attempt with prolonged gunfire against searchlights and mobile batteries.

The Admiralty accepts Carden's revised plan for a heavily supported daylight assault and minesweeping effort.

Carden's final operational plan places the minesweepers under close protection of the battle fleet for the proposed daylight clearance.

Carden reports severe strain as pressure mounts for a decisive fleet assault.

Carden proposes a daylight minesweeping operation closely protected by the battle fleet after repeated night attempts fail.

Carden leaves command through illness and de Robeck takes over the naval operation.

Severe illness and nervous exhaustion prevent Carden from continuing direct command on the eve of the major fleet assault.

De Robeck inherits Carden's operational concept and prepares the large fleet attack scheduled for 18 March.

Carden formally relinquishes the Eastern Mediterranean Squadron to John de Robeck because of his deteriorating health.

Involved in the successful bomardment of the outer-Dardanelles

Forced to hand over his command to John de Robeck, due to ill health

Carden reaches the rank of admiral before leaving active Royal Navy service.

Carden retires from the Royal Navy in October 1917 after forty-seven years of service.

Death of Sackville Hamilton Carden