Marine sword

Home              Back to Marine Corps History

    The is a replica of a scimitar presented by an Arab chieftan after a Marine victory on 'the shores of Tripoli.'

    Marine Officers were initially allowed swords of any style - as long as they were yellow-mounted.

    In 1805, Marines assembled a fleet to Derna, Tripoli to put down Barbary Coast pirates taking a toll on American merchant ships in the Mediterranean. Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon and his Marines marched across 600 miles of North Africa's Libyan desert to successfully storm the fortified Tripolitan city of Derna.

    A desert chieftain presented Marine Lieutenant O'Bannon with a scimitar to show his appreciation. The scimitar was used by Mameluke warriors of North Africa. By 1825, all Marine officers were mandated to wear the Mameluke sword.

    Except for the period from 1859 to 1875, commissioned Marine officers have carried the Mameluke sword.

    Regulations adopted in 1859 outlined the specifications for the sword still carried by today's noncommissioned officers. The design is based on the 1850 Army foot officers' sword, which Marine officers carried from 1859 to 1875.