Gordon Falcon (Royal Navy officer)

Gordon Thomas Falcon (died 11 January 1854) was an officer in the Royal Navy. He first went to sea in 1794 as an able seaman on board HMS Sheerness. Quickly promoted to midshipman, Falcon transferred to HMS Repulse and then HMS Venerable, Admiral Adam Duncan's flagship, in which he served at the Battle of Camperdown.

As a lieutenant, Falcon was aboard HMS Leopard when she fired on the USS Chesapeake, causing an international incident. He was promoted to post-captain on 29 October 1813, and soon after was assigned to the newly built HMS Leander. Falcon was in command of the 22-gun HMS Cyane when she and the 20-gun HMS Levant engaged the American 44-gun super frigate, USS Constitution near Madeira on 20 February 1815. Outgunned, both ships were captured and Falcon was made a prisoner of war. After hostilities, Falcon was released and stood trial for the loss of his ship at Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he was honourably acquitted.

Towards the end of his career, Falcon served aboard HMS Royal Adelaide as flag captain to William Hargood, the Commander-in-Chief at Plymouth. He was there in August 1833, during the royal visit of Princess Victoria and her mother, the Duchess of Kent and assisted in their rescue when the royal yacht collided with a hulked ship. On 17 February 1845, Falcon accepted his last position, that of Superintendent at Pembroke Dock and Captain of the Royal Sovereign yacht. He attained flag-rank on 1 August 1848, when he was promoted to rear-admiral, at which point, he retired. He died at his home in London on 11 January 1854.