Yates Stirling Jr.
Yates Stirling Jr. (April 30, 1872 – January 27, 1948) was a decorated and controversial rear admiral in the United States Navy whose 44-year career spanned from several years before the Spanish–American War to the mid-1930s. He was awarded the Navy Cross and French Legion of Honor for distinguished service during World War One. The elder son of Rear Admiral Yates Stirling, he was an outspoken advocate of American sea power as a strong deterrent to war and to protect and promote international commerce. During Stirling's naval career and following retirement, he was a frequent lecturer, newspaper columnist and author of numerous books and articles, including his memoirs, "Sea Duty: The Memoirs of a Fighting Admiral", published in 1939. Describing himself, Stirling wrote, "All my life I have been called a stormy petrel. I have never hesitated to use the pen to reveal what I considered should be brought to public attention, usually within the Navy, but often to a wider public. I seem to see some benefits that have come through those efforts. I have always believed that a naval man is disloyal to his country if he does not reveal acts that are doing harm to his service and show, if he can, how to remedy the fault. An efficient Navy cannot be run with 'yes men' only."
James Young (Royal Navy officer, born 1717)
Young was advanced to flag rank towards the end of the Seven Years' War, being promoted to rear-admiral on 21 October 1762. Further promotions followed, he attained the rank of vice-admiral on 28 October 1770, and became commander-in-chief in the Leeward Islands Station in April 1775. He raised his flag aboard the 50-gun and sailed to take up his post on 26 April. The American War of Independence broke out during Young's time in command, and he was tasked with using his small naval force to interdict the supply of arms and gunpowder to rebel forces, and to defend British trade from American privateers and warships. He struggled to combat the delivery of weapons to the Americans. His squadron had too few fast cruisers, and the Americans were being openly supplied from the neutral Caribbean possessions, from the Dutch-held St Eustatius and the French at Martinique. Frustrated, Young himself denounced the "very pernicious traffic carried on between his Britannic majesty's rebellious subjects ... and ... St. Eustatias." He was more successful though in ensuring British commerce remained secure, organizing convoy systems by mid-1776 to escort merchant ships to Britain, and cruising with some success against American privateers and warships. His squadron captured 205 American merchant ships and captured or destroyed seventeen American privateers and warships.