Charles Butler McVay Jr. (September 19, 1868 – October 28, 1949) was an admiral in the United States Navy after World War I. In 1907–1909, after the cruise of the

Great White Fleet The Great White Fleet was the popular nickname for the group of United States Navy battleships which completed a journey around the globe from December 16, 1907 to February 22, 1909 by order of President Theodore Roosevelt. Its mission was t ...

, he commanded the tender USS ''Yankton''. He then held various assignments of increasing importance throughout and after World War I. In the early 1930s, he served as commander-in-chief of the

Asiatic Fleet The United States Asiatic Fleet was a fleet of the United States Navy during much of the first half of the 20th century. Before World War II, the fleet patrolled the Philippine Islands. Much of the fleet was destroyed by the Japanese by Februar ...

Personal life

McVay was born on September 19, 1868, in Edgeworth, Pennsylvania. He was an 1890 graduate of the United States Naval Academy. His son

Charles B. McVay III Charles Butler McVay III (August 31, 1898 – November 6, 1968) was an American naval officer and the commanding officer of the cruiser which was lost in action in 1945, resulting in a significant loss of life. Of all captains in the history of ...

was the commanding officer of the ill-fated USS ''Indianapolis''.

Military career

During the Spanish–American War (1898), Ensign McVay served aboard the , a double-turret monitor. It patrolled the waters off Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Key West and participated in the shelling of San Juan in May 1898. In 1908, after serving as a navigator aboard USS ''Hartford'' and USS ''Alabama'' and a tour at the US Naval Academy, McVay was given command of USS ''Yankton''. In 1909, McVay was stationed at Norfolk, Virginia, as the ''Yankton'' had just returned from an around-the-world cruise with the Great White Fleet.

World War I service

During World War I, McVay served as commanding officer aboard three vessels: USS ''Saratoga'', , and USS ''Oklahoma''.

Asiatic Fleet Command

After the war, McVay served as a commander in the Yangtze Patrol. At this time, the United States, along with Japan and the major European nations, had garrisons in Shanghai, Beijing, and Tianjin. U.S. Navy gunboats regularly patrolled the Yangtze River to protect foreigners during a turbulent period when China had no effective central government. In 1929, McVay was promoted to

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

and commanded the

United States Asiatic Fleet The United States Asiatic Fleet was a fleet of the United States Navy during much of the first half of the 20th century. Before World War II, the fleet patrolled the Philippine Islands. Much of the fleet was destroyed by the Japanese by Februar ...

. He retired from the Navy in October 1932 and died on October 28, 1949. McVay is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McVay, Charles B. Jr. 1868 births 1949 deaths People from Edgeworth, Pennsylvania United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy personnel of the Spanish–American War United States Navy personnel of World War I United States Navy admirals Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Military personnel from Pennsylvania