Raymond D. Tarbuck | |
|---|---|
 Commodore Raymond D. Tarbuck (left) with Rear Admiral Albert G. Noble (right) | |
| Nickname(s) | Ray |
| Born | 4 May 1897 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Died | 15 November 1986 (aged 89) Coronado California |
| Buried | Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, San Diego, California |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service/ |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1920–1950 |
| Rank |  Rear Admiral |
| Commands held |
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| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Legion of Merit (2) |
Raymond D. Tarbuck (4 May 1897 – 15 November 1986) was a rear admiral in the United States Navy who is best known as a planner with General Douglas MacArthur's General Headquarters (GHQ) Southwest Pacific Area during World War II.
A 1920 graduate of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, Tarbuck spent most of his early career on destroyers. During a tour of duty in the Caribbean, he served ashore with the United States occupation of Nicaragua. Later, while at the Naval War College at Newport, Rhode Island, he wrote a thesis entitled "The Nicaraguan Policy of the United States", which was subsequently published by the United States Naval Institute.
Tarbuck received his first command, the destroyer USS Macdonough in May 1939, and in March 1941, he assumed command of Destroyer Division 70. Then, in October 1941, he became an instructor in air observer and navigator training with the United States Army Air Corps at Maxwell Field, Alabama. In 1943 he was assigned to General MacArthur's GHQ, where he planned a series of combined operations, and accurately predicted the course of the Battle of Leyte Gulf. He served with GHQ until December 1944, when he became chief of staff of the VII Amphibious Force.
After the war he became the chief of staff of Amphibious Forces, Atlantic Fleet. His last command was of the battleship USS Iowa. He retired from active service on 1 July 1950, and received a tombstone promotion to the rank of rear admiral.