Yates Stirling

Yates Stirling (6 May 1843 – 5 March 1929) was a rear admiral in the United States Navy.

Birth and personal life
Stirling was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on 6 May 1843, the son of Archibald Stirling and the former Elizabeth A. Walsh. He and his wife, Ellen, had seven children. Their son, Yates Stirling, Jr., also became a rear admiral in the Navy, making them the second family in the history of the U.S. Navy to have a father and son both become rear admirals. Another son, Archibald, was a captain in the Navy.

Career
Stirling was appointed an acting midshipman at the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, on 27 September 1860 as a member of the class of 1864; when the rank of acting midshipman was abolished on 16 July 1862, his rank became midshipman. After the American Civil War broke out in April 1861, the Academy moved to Newport, Rhode Island, for the duration of the war and Stirling graduated ahead of schedule in 1863 due to the expanded U.S. Navy's need for officers during the war. He was commissioned as an ensign on 28 May 1863.

Stirling served for the rest of the war in the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron as part of the Union Blockade of the Confederate States of America. His first duty was aboard the screw sloop-of-war USS Shenandoah (1862) until 13 April 1864, when Shenandoah began a period under repair in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He then served aboard the flagship of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, the monitor USS Onondaga (1863), on the James River in Virginia until reporting back aboard Shenandoah for duty when she returned to service in June 1864. Aboard Shenandoah he saw combat at Fort Fisher in North Carolina in both the First Battle of Fort Fisher in December 1864 and the Second Battle of Fort Fisher in January 1865 and remained on blockade duty through the end of the war in April 1865.

After the war, Stirling served aboard the gunboat USS Mohongo in the Pacific Squadron from 1865 to 1867 and was promoted to lieutenant on 10 November 1866. Promoted to lieutenant commander on 12 March 1868, he was aboard the newly commissioned screw frigate USS Wampanoag (1864) during her brief initial deployment as flagship of the North Atlantic Squadron in 1868. He then served aboard the next flagship of the squadron, the screw sloop-of-war USS Contoocook (1864), from 1868 to 1869 before a tour aboard the receiving ship USS Independence (1814) at the Mare Island Navy Yard at Vallejo, California, from 1871 to 1872.

After a lengthy period on sick leave from 1873 to 1875, Stirling returned to duty aboard the receiving ship USS Worcester (1866) at the Norfolk Navy Yard in Portsmouth, Virginia, from 1875 to 1876. He had torpedo duty in 1877, then had ordnance duty at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., from 1877 to 1879.

Stirling returned to sea in 1878 as commanding officer of the screw sloop-of-war USS Lackawanna (1862) in the Pacific Squadron and was promoted to commander on 26 November 1880 during his tour aboard her. Detaching from Lackawanna in 1881, he again had duty at the Washington Navy Yard from 1882 to 1884 before a tour as commanding officer of the sloop-of-war USS Iroquois (1859) in the Pacific Squadron from 1884 to 1886. He then commanded the receiving ship USS Dale (1839) at the Washington Navy Yard from 1887 to 1890 and the gunboat and dispatch vessel USS Dolphin (PG-24) from March 1890 to June 1891.

Stirling had duty as a lighthouse inspector from December 1892 to December 1894 and was promoted to captain on 16 September 1894. He awaited orders from December 1894 until May 1895, then was commanding officer of the protected cruiser USS Newark (C-1) from May 1895 to July 1896 and of the screw sloop-of-war USS Lancaster (1858) from July 1896 to June 1897. He was commander of the South Atlantic Squadron from July to December 1897. After duty as a member of the Lighthouse Board from 31 March 1898 to 1 July 1900, he became commander of Naval Station San Juan in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on 21 November 1900, serving in that capacity into 1902.

Stirling was commander-in-chief of the United States Asiatic Fleet from 11 July 1904 to 23 March 1905 before retiring from the Navy in 1905.

Death
Stirling died on 5 March 1929. He is buried along with his wife, his sons, and his daughter Helen, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.