New Hebrides Islands. Her patrol, escort, and transport duty continued as the drive for Guadalcanal pressed on to victory. Five minutes after midnight on 6 May 1943, Gamble, with and Breese, turned simultaneously in rain squalls which broke at times to disclose each to the other in perfect formation. Making , each ship dropped a mine every 12 seconds, planting over 250 mines in 17 minutes across Blackett Strait, the western entrance to Kula Gulf and directly in the favorite route of the Japanese "Tokyo Express." The ships then sped north to join the protective screen of Rear Admiral Walden L. Ainsworth's cruiser-destroyer force before refueling at Tulagi. On the night of 7/8 May, four Japanese destroyers entered the mined waters. One, , went down, two others, and , were badly damaged and sent out calls for help that brought to the scene. Aircraft, alerted by a coastwatcher, intercepted the rescue operation, sinking the two destroyers and sending Michishio limping back to port, badly damaged. On 30 June 1943, during the invasion of New Georgia, Gamble laid a string of mines off the beachhead, before returning to Tulagi. In July welcome orders sent her back to the United States for overhaul. She headed west again on 20 September 1943. Her minelaying duties then brought her to Empress Augusta Bay from 1–2 November 1943 to support landing operations; Bougainville Strait, 7–8 November; Purvis Bay, Florida Island, 23–24 November, thence to the New Hebrides Islands for escort duty among the Solomons until she returned to San Francisco on 12 October 1944. After overhaul and refresher training, Gamble departed San Diego on 7 January 1945, en route via Hawaii and the Marshalls to Iwo Jima where she arrived on 17 February, to lend fire support to the various sweeping units, and to explode floating mines. During her shelling a direct hit on an ammunition dump exploded the enemy magazine at the foot of Mount Suribachi. Fate On 18 February 1945, Gamble was hit just above the waterline by two bombs. Both firerooms immediately flooded and she became dead in the water with two holes in her bottom as all hands fought raging fires, jettisoned topside weight and shored damaged bulkheads. Five men were killed, one missing in action, and eight wounded. As U.S. Marines stormed the shores of Iwo Jima the next day, Gamble was taken in tow by , who turned her