John M. Gamble
1791 – 11 September 1836 (aged 44–45)
Place of birth	Brooklyn, New York
Place of death	New York City, New York
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1809
Unit	USS Essex
Commands held	USS Greenwich
Battles/wars	War of 1812

Lieutenant Colonel John M. Gamble (1791 – 11 September 1836) was an officer in the United States Marine Corps during the early 1800s. He was the first, and remains the only, U.S. Marine to command a U.S. Navy ship, commanding the Greenwich during the War of 1812.^[1][2]

Contents 1 Biography 2 Namesake 3 See also 4 Notes 5 References 6 Further reading

[edit] Biography

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Gamble was appointed Second Lieutenant on 16 January 1809.

He held the rank of captain and was stationed in the South Sea during the War of 1812.^[3] He distinguished himself in many enterprises, including encounters with people of the Marquesas Islands during the absence of frigate Essex in 1813, and sailing a prize of Essex, with only a four-man crew and without benefit of a chart in a 17-day voyage to the Hawaiian Islands. Captain Gamble is remembered in history as the only U.S. Marine ever to command a U.S. Navy ship.

He was breveted a lieutenant colonel on 3 March 1827.

He died in New York City on 11 September 1836.

[edit] Namesake

The destroyer USS Gamble (DD-123) was named for him and his brother, United States Navy Lieutenant Peter Gamble.

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

• "Gamble". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval Historical Center, Department of the Navy. http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/g1/gamble.htm. 

[edit] Further reading

• Gamble, John M. (1828). The memorial of Lieut. Colonel J.M. Gamble, of the United States' Marine Corps, to Congress, 1828. New York: Geo. F. Hopkins & Son. http://books.google.com/books?id=GsVdNZkdG-kC&pg=PA7&lpg=PA7&dq=John+M.+Gamble+Marine&source=bl&ots=nuPIk7tpE0&sig=UzXkIGdF-Z0EuilAFwqI7NO9xuA&hl=en&ei=dKgHSpubCp3ItgeY8_2HBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6. Retrieved 10 May 2009. 

• Toner, Raymond J. (2007). Martin, Iain C.. ed. Gamble of the Marines. Globe Pequot. pp. 13-20. ISBN 9781599210179. 

This biographical article related to the United States Marine Corps is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v • d • e