July 10, 2006
The lore of the Corps
Marine sailed to safety after mutiny in Pacific

By Don Burzynski
Special to the Times

In October 1813, the American frigate Essex and five ships captured as prizes arrived at Nuku Hiva, in the Marquesas Islands, for relaxation and repairs after five months of raiding the British whale fishery in the Pacific.

In addition to enjoying themselves, Navy Capt. David Porter and his crew found time to erect a small hilltop fort and to put an end to an ongoing civil war between the island’s coastal natives and its hill people.

Despite the crew’s desire to stay, Porter decided it was time to leave, and two ships departed on Dec. 13. Porter left four prize ships at the island with Marine Lt. John Gamble, 22 Marines and sailors, and six British prisoners, under orders to remain until the following May. If no word came by then, they were to abandon the island.


With Porter gone, Gamble strove to maintain peace on the island. On Jan. 8, 1814, a young, tattooed local man visited him after several days of torrential rains to report that a nearby tribe was at war.

Eager to keep the peace for his own safety and for the harmony of the islanders, Gamble set out for the village with two boats and 12 armed Marines. Upon his arrival, he demanded to know the reason behind the conflict and reminded the villagers of the promise they had made to Porter to live in peace.

The village chiefs answered that while they were averse to war, an innocent man’s life had been taken. Gamble quickly put an end to the quarrel by demanding that the man’s killer be brought to him within two days, or the villagers would face an attack by his whole force.

While his peacemaking efforts succeeded among the natives, Gamble’s efforts at maintaining discipline among his men were failing. In April, he began preparing two ships to leave the island.

Sparked by petty jealousies and a desire to return home, and provoked by the British prisoners, Gamble’s men began to desert him, and the garrison fort became mutinous. On May 7, rebellion flared as British-led mutineers took one of the prize ships and left the island.

With his position on the island precarious, Gamble and his remaining men decided to make a run for it. Raising sail in the Sir Andrew Hammond, a whaling ship captured by Porter as a prize, he and his crewmen drifted north without charts or navigational instruments.

Fifteen days later, they reached Oahu, Hawaii, where they were received warmly by natives and American traders.

To repay the Hawaiians’ kindness, Gamble agreed to take several chiefs to a nearby island. However, they were captured en route by the British sloop Cherub and taken to Rio de Janeiro.

Paroled in November 1814, Gamble finally reached the U.S. in August 1815 in poor health.

The author is a War of 1812 re-enactor. He can be reached at dburzynski2003@yahoo.com.

Ellie