Harry E. Yarnell
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Admiral Harry Ervin Yarnell (18 October 1875 – 7 July 1959) was an American
naval officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent contex ...
whose career spanned over 51 years and three wars, from the
Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...
through
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. Among his achievements was proving, in 1932 war games, that
Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the R ...
was vulnerable to a naval aerial attack. His findings were dismissed by his superiors until the
Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrend ...
's
Pearl Harbor attack The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, ...
went just as Yarnell had predicted.


Early life and Naval career

Born near
Independence, Iowa Independence is a city in, and the county seat of, Buchanan County, Iowa, United States. The population was 6,064 in the 2020 census, an increase from 6,014 in 2000. History Independence was founded in 1847 near the center of present-day Buch ...
, he entered the U.S. Naval Academy in 1893. After serving on during the
Battle of Santiago de Cuba The Battle of Santiago de Cuba was a decisive naval engagement that occurred on July 3, 1898 between an American fleet, led by William T. Sampson and Winfield Scott Schley, against a Spanish fleet led by Pascual Cervera y Topete, which occurre ...
, 3 July 1898, Yarnell was commissioned
ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...
1 July 1899 and reported to the
Asiatic Station The Asiatic Squadron was a squadron of United States Navy warships stationed in East Asia during the latter half of the 19th century. It was created in 1868 when the East India Squadron was disbanded. Vessels of the squadron were primarily inv ...
. He served in the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
during the Philippine–American War and with the
Asiatic Squadron The Asiatic Squadron was a squadron of United States Navy warships stationed in East Asia during the latter half of the 19th century. It was created in 1868 when the East India Squadron was disbanded. Vessels of the squadron were primarily inv ...
during the Boxer Rebellion. In 1902, he was the commissioning commanding officer of the destroyer .


Assignments through World War I

From Asia, Yarnell reported to at her commissioning. On January 13, 1907, he was the officer of the deck when ''Connecticut'' ran aground near
Culebra, Puerto Rico Isla Culebra (, ''Snake Island'') is an island, town and municipality of Puerto Rico and geographically part of the Spanish Virgin Islands. It is located approximately east of the Puerto Rican mainland, west of St. Thomas and north of Vieque ...
. Both Yarnell and ''Connecticut'' captain William Swift were court-martialed; Swift was convicted but Yarnell was acquitted. Restored to duty, Yarnell sailed around the world with the Great White Fleet. Next, duty at the
Newport Torpedo Station The Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) is the United States Navy's full-spectrum research, development, test and evaluation, engineering and fleet support center for submarines, autonomous underwater systems, and offensive and defensive weapons ...
, on CINCLANT's staff, and at the
Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associ ...
occupied him until
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
(WWI), when he served at
Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...
and then at
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, on the staff of Admiral William S. Sims. At the conclusion of WWI, CAPT Yarnell was awarded the
Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...
, for his "distinguished services in the ... Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, and on the Staff of the Commander, U.S. Naval Forces operating in European waters".


Interwar assignments

Yarnell then rotated between sea and shore duty until ordered to the aircraft carrier in September 1927, as prospective commanding officer. He served as captain of the carrier from her commissioning until 17 August 1928, when he was appointed Chief of the
Bureau of Steam Engineering The Bureau of Steam Engineering was a bureau of the United States Navy, created by the act of 5 July 1862, receiving some of the duties of the former Bureau of Construction, Equipment and Repair. It became, by the Naval Appropriation Act of 4 June ...
as Rear Admiral. While in that capacity, advising the General Board on the design of a
fleet submarine A fleet submarine is a submarine with the speed, range, and endurance to operate as part of a navy's battle fleet. Examples of fleet submarines are the British First World War era K class and the American World War II era ''Gato'' class. The t ...
, Yarnell opposed smaller types, presciently noting, "our prospective opponent
apan Apan is a city and one of the 84 municipalities of Hidalgo, in central-eastern Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 346.9 km². Overview As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 39,247. It was an important site in the Wa ...
has always started operations by attacking before a declaration of war". From January to April 1930, Admiral Yarnell was Naval Adviser to the American delegation at the
London Naval Conference 1930 The London Naval Treaty, officially the Treaty for the Limitation and Reduction of Naval Armament, was an agreement between the United Kingdom, Japan, France, Italy, and the United States that was signed on 22 April 1930. Seeking to address is ...
, and, in October 1936, he became Commander in Chief, Asiatic Fleet, with the rank of admiral. His tour there was notable for the sagacious and firm manner with which he handled a most explosive international situation. In February 1932, Yarnell pioneered carrier tactics in an exercise called Army/Navy Grand Joint Exercise 4. Rear Admiral Yarnell commanded the carriers and ''Saratoga'' in an effort to demonstrate that Hawaii was vulnerable to naval air power. The expectation was that Yarnell would attack with battleships, but instead he left his battleships behind and proceeded only with his carriers to the north of Hawaii where it was less likely he would be detected. With a storm as cover, at dawn on Sunday, 7 February, Yarnell's 152 planes attacked the harbor from the northeast, just as the Japanese would ten years later. The army airfields were first put out of commission after which
Battleship Row Battleship Row was the grouping of eight U.S. battleships in port at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, when the Japanese attacked on 7 December 1941. These ships bore the brunt of the Japanese assault. They were moored next to Ford Island when the attack co ...
was attacked, with multiple hits on navy ships. No defending aircraft were able to launch. The Navy's war-game umpires declared the attack a total success, prompting Yarnell to strenuously warn of the Japanese threat. ''
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'' reported on the exercise, noting the defenders were unable to find the attacking fleet even after 24 hours had passed. U.S. intelligence knew Japanese writers had reported on the exercise. Ironically, in the U.S., the battleship admirals voted down a reassessment of naval tactics. The umpire's report did not even mention the stunning success of Yarnell's exercise. Instead they wrote, "It is doubtful if air attacks can be launched against Oahu in the face of strong defensive aviation without subjecting the attacking carriers to the danger of material damage and consequent great losses in the attack air force." Yarnell's carrier tactics were reprised by
Ernest King Ernest Joseph King (23 November 1878 – 25 June 1956) was an American naval officer who served as Commander in Chief, United States Fleet (COMINCH) and Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) during World War II. As COMINCH-CNO, he directed the U ...
(at the time, Vice-Admiral) in ''Saratoga'' during wargames held in winter of 1938, with the same results, both in terms of surprising the defenders and in terms of the tactics being dismissed as "unfair".


World War II

After three years' service commanding the Asiatic Fleet, Admiral Yarnell was transferred to the Retired List, and was elected an honorary member of the Rhode Island Society of the
Sons of the Revolution Sons of the Revolution is a hereditary society which was founded in 1876 and educates the public about the American Revolution. The General Society Sons of the Revolution headquarters is a Pennsylvania non-profit corporation located at Willia ...
on February 22, 1940. On 1 November 1941, as war loomed, Yarnell was recalled to active duty and worked in the office of the
Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...
as Special Adviser to the Chinese Military Mission. While in this capacity, he testified before House Immigration Committee urging repeal of the Chinese Exclusion acts. Yarnell was relieved of active duty 15 January 1943, but returned in June as Head of a Special Section in the Office of Chief of Naval Operations until December 1944, when he again was relieved of active duty.


Death

Admiral Harry E. Yarnell died on 7 July 1959 at
Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and northeast of New Yor ...
, his home since his retirement. He is buried at Berkeley Memorial Cemetery in Middletown, Rhode Island together with his wife Emily Carroll Thomas Yarnell (1875–1965). They had one daughter, Ruth (1906–1948), who married late Vice admiral
John Sylvester John Sylvester may refer to: * John Sylvester (admiral) (1904–1990), United States Navy admiral * John Sylvester (cricketer) (born 1969), Grenadian cricketer * John N. Sylvester (1909–1993), American politician in the state of Washington * John ...
.They also had a son, Phillip, who married Vivian and settled down in the Baltimore area.


Awards

Here is the ribbon bar of Admiral Harry E. Yarnell:


Namesake

The (later reclassified as (CG-17)) was named in his honor.


References


External links


Yarnell papers at the Naval Historical Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yarnell, Harry E. 1875 births 1959 deaths People from Independence, Iowa United States Navy admirals United States Naval Academy alumni Naval War College alumni American military personnel of the Spanish–American War American military personnel of the Philippine–American War United States Navy personnel of World War I United States Navy World War II admirals Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Military personnel from Iowa