George Salt was born in Edgbaston, Birmingham, on 16 January 1908, the son of Colonel Thomas Anderdon Salt DSO & Elinor Mary Salt (née Wiggin).  George joined the Royal Navy at Dartmouth as a Cadet in September 1921.

He was appointed to the Battleship, HMS VALIANT, on 15 September 1925. Promoted to Midshipman on 15 May 1926, he was raised to Sub Lieutenant on 16 May 1929.  He also qualified as a Submariner that same year and joined HMS OSWALD as Fourth Hand (3rd Submarine Flotilla, China Station).  On 16 September 1931 he was promoted to Lieutenant.

He returned home, leaving Kowloon on 31 May 1933, and sailing back with four other Officers – three Submariners: Martyn Sherwood, Philip Francis and Robert (Red) Ryder, and Bertie Ommaney-Davis (a Naval Surgeon) – in a ketch (the Tai Mo Shan) which had been designed and built for them. They back in the UK at Dartmouth on 30 May 1934.

On 2 July 1934 he was appointed to the Destroyer, HMS SABLE (formerly HMS SALMON), part of the 1st Anti-Submarine Flotilla at Portland, as First Lieutenant.  Returning to Submarines in 1936, he joined HMS PORPOISE as her First Lieutenant on 12 February.  He was then appointed to his Commanding Officers Qualifying Course (COQC) on 4 January 1937.  On successful completion of the course, his first Submarine Command was HMS STARFISH to date 6 June 1937.

An appointment to the Aircraft Carrier HMS ARK ROYAL followed on 20 April 1938.  George Salt was promoted to Lieutenant Commander on 16 September 1939 and an appointment to HMS TRIAD in Command followed on 15 August 1940.

On 15 October 1940 HMS TRIAD encountered the Italian Submarine Enrico Toto in the Gulf of Taranto; both submarines were surfaced at the time.  Both fired torpedoes during the action and there was an exchange of gunfire; HMS TRIAD appeared to dive but was subsequently never seen again and was presumed lost with all hands. [But see HMS TRIAD story]

George Salt, who is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval War Memorial on Panel No 36 Column No 3, was the husband of Lilian Bridget Francis.

NOTE:   Their son, James Frederick Thomas George (Sam) Salt also joined the Royal Navy and became a submariner, subsequently commanding HMS FINWHALE and DREADNOUGHT.  In 1982 Captain ‘Sam’ Salt was in command of the Destroyer, HMS SHEFFIELD, when she was sunk during the Falklands Campaign (Operation Corporate).