Yates Stirling Jr.

Rear Admiral Yates Stirling Jr.
RADM Yates Stirling Jr. from a portrait by Mabel Buell
Nickname(s)	"the Stormy Petrel of the Navy"
Born	(1872-04-30)April 30, 1872 Vallejo, California, US
Died	January 27, 1948(1948-01-27) (aged 75) Baltimore, Maryland, US
Place of burial	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States of America
Service / branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1892–1936
Rank	Rear admiral
Commands	USS Paragua USS Paulding USS Salem USS Ozark USS Tonopah USS Columbia Submarine Flotilla, Atlantic Fleet Naval Submarine Base New London USS Chicago USS President Lincoln USS Von Steuben USS Connecticut USS New Mexico Yangtze Patrol 14th Naval District (Hawaii) 3rd Naval District (New York)
Battles / wars	Spanish–American War Philippines – Moro Rebellion Veracruz Expedition World War I
Awards	Navy Cross French Legion of Honor Venezuela Order of the Liberator Order of the Crown of Italy
Relations	RADM Yates Stirling Sr., USN (father) CDR Archibald G. Stirling, USN (brother) CAPT Yates Stirling III, USN (son) CDR Harry E. Stirling, USN (son) TEC4 Adelaide S. Boyd, USA (daughter)

Yates Stirling Jr. (April 30, 1872 – January 27, 1948) was a decorated and controversial rear admiral in the United States Navy whose 44-year career spanned from several years before the Spanish–American War to the mid-1930s. He was awarded the Navy Cross and French Legion of Honor for distinguished service during World War I. The elder son of Rear Admiral Yates Stirling, he was an outspoken advocate of American sea power as a strong deterrent to war and to protect and promote international commerce. During Stirling's naval career and following retirement, he was a frequent lecturer, newspaper columnist and author of numerous books and articles, including his memoirs, Sea Duty: The Memoirs of a Fighting Admiral, published in 1939. Describing himself, Stirling wrote, "All my life I have been called a stormy petrel. I have never hesitated to use the pen to reveal what I considered should be brought to public attention, usually within the Navy, but often to a wider public. I seem to see some benefits that have come through those efforts. I have always believed that a naval man is disloyal to his country if he does not reveal acts that are doing harm to his service and show, if he can, how to remedy the fault. An efficient Navy cannot be run with 'yes men' only."^[1]