Yates Stirling Jr.
On July 20, 1924, he became Captain of the Yard, Navy Yard, Washington, D.C., with additional duty as Assistant Superintendent of the Naval Gun Factory. He was promoted to rear admiral on October 6, 1926 and in December that year Stirling was designated Chief of Staff to Admiral Charles F. Hughes, Commander in Chief, U.S. Fleet, based at San Pedro, California. At the October 27, 1927 Navy Day Ceremonies at San Pedro harbor, despite an all-day downpour, thousands of Southern Californians gathered for the festivities, including ships' tours, band performances of patriotic music and the key-note address given by Stirling, "Merchant Marine, the Navy and the Nation".
Yates Stirling Jr.
He remained at Philadelphia for two years, then served from June 1922 until June 1924 as Commanding Officer of the battleship , Battleship Division 5, Battle Fleet, based at San Pedro, California. That month Stirling was appointed chairman of the Naval Board of Inquiry into the No. 2 turret explosion of the "New Mexico's" sister ship, , on June 12, 1924 that killed 48 men.