James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier

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James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier bigraphy, stories - British admiral and politician

James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier : biography

13 October 1756 – 19 April 1833

Admiral of the Fleet James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier GCB (13 October 1756 – 19 April 1833) was an admiral of the Royal Navy, who served as Governor of Newfoundland, and as a Lord of the Admiralty. He gained public distinction for his part in the Glorious First of June in 1794, but later became known for the notoriety gained for his inaction at the Battle of the Basque Roads.

Later career

In 1813 Lord Gambier was part of the team negotiating the Treaty of Ghent, ending the War of 1812 between Britain and the United States. He was a founding benefactor of Kenyon College in the United States, so the town that was founded with it, Gambier, Ohio is named after him. at Kenyon College website. Retrieved on 3 October 2006. Mount Gambier, South Australia, the extinct volcano and the later city, and Gambier Island in British Columbia are also named after him.

Battle of the Basque Roads

A satirical print depicting Gambier and Cochrane during the Battle of Basque Roads; Gambier is shown reading the Bible, ignoring Cochrane’s request to pursue the French fleet In 1808 Lord Gambier was appointed to command the Channel Fleet. In April 1809 he chased a squadron of French ships that had escaped from Brest into the Basque Roads. He called a council of war in which Lord Cochrane was given command of the inshore squadron, and who subsequently led the attack. Gambier refused to commit the Channel Fleet after Cochrane’s attack, using explosion vessels that encouraged the French squadron to warp further into the shallows of the estuary. This action resulted in the majority of the French fleet running agroundTracy, Nicholas, "Who’s Who In Nelson’s Navy: 200 Naval Heroes", Chatham Publishing, 2006 at Rochefort.

Lord Gambier was content with the blockading role played by the offshore squadron. Admiral Sir Eliab Harvey, who had commanded "Fighting Temeraire" at the Battle of Trafalgar, believed they had missed an opportunity to inflict further damage upon the French fleet. He told Gambier "I never saw a man so unfit for the command of a fleet as Your Lordship." Lord Cochrane threatened to use his parliamentary vote against Gambier in retaliation for not committing the fleet to action. Gambier called for a court martial to examine his conduct. The court martial, on 26 July 1809 on Gladiator in Portsmouth, exonerated Gambier. Consequently, neither Harvey nor Cochrane were appointed by the Admiralty to command for the remainder of the war.Tracy, N, 2006, p. 150

Early career

Gambier was born in New Providence, The Bahamas, the second son of John Gambier, the Lieutenant Governor. His mother, Deborah Stiles was Bermudian, and he remained the patron of an extended, but impoverished, Bermudian family throughout his adult life."Bermuda From Sail To Steam: A History of the Island from 1784 to 1901", Volume 1, Dr. Henry C. Wilkinson. © Oxford University Press, 1973. ISBN 0-19-215932-1 Gambier was a nephew of Vice-Admiral James Gambier and of Admiral Sir Charles Middleton, Lord Barham.Tracy, N, 2006, p. 148 He was the uncle of the novelist Lady Chatterton.ODNB entry for Chatterton, Henrietta Georgiana Marcia Lascelles, Lady Chatterton (1806–1876) .

He entered the Navy in 1767 as a midshipman on board the , commanded by his uncle, which was serving as a guardship in the Medway, and followed him to server on board the 60-gun in 1769 where he served on the North American Station. He transferred to the 50-gun under Rear Admiral Parry, in 1772, in the Leeward Islands. Gambier was placed on sloop, and he was posted to England to serve on the 74-gun, third-rate , a guardship at Spithead. He was commissioned as a Lieutenant on 12 February 1777, where he served in a successively in the sloop, the 24-gun frigate , then under Vice-Admiral Lord Shuldham in 1777, and in under his uncle’s flag. Lord Howe promoted Lieutenant Gambier to Master & Commander on 9 March 1778, commanding the bomb ship , which was promptly dismasted and surrendered to the French. He was taken prisoner for a short period and when he was exchanged he was made a Post Captain on 9 October 1778, at the age of 22, and appointed to the 32-gun frigate HMS Raleigh. He served under his father and under Vice-Admiral Mariot Arbuthnot. In 1780 he was appointed commander of , cruising in British waters.Tracy, N, 2006, p. 149