Biography of Admiral Harry Ervin Yarnell

Harry Ervin Yarnell was born in Iowa, near Independence, on October 18, 1875 to Ervin & Catherine (Countryman) Yarnell. He attended country schools and the Independence High School, and was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy from the Third Iowa District in 1887. He was graduated with distinction, ranking fourth, in the class of 1897.

He served at sea for two years as required by law before being commissioned as Ensign, U.S. Navy, on July 1, 1899. Subsequently he served aboard various vessels in the Asiatic Fleet during the Philippine Insurrection and the Boxer Rebellion.

He married Emily Carroll Thomas in 1903, and they had two childen, Ruth and Philip.

Captain Yarnell commissioned the U.S.S. Saratoga on November 16, 1927 and served as her commanding officer until September 1928, when he was appointed Chief of the Bureau of Engineering and Engineer in Chief of the U.S. Navy with the accompanying rank of Rear Admiral. In February 1932, during the Joint Army-Navy Grand Exercises, he demonstrated how a successful attack on Pearl Harbor could be accomplished with complete surprise, which should have forewarned the U.S. Navy; (complete story). In October 1936, he was designated Commander in Chief, Asiatic Fleet with the rank of Admiral.

Admiral Yarnell was commander of the Asiatic Fleet when the Japanese sank the U.S. gunboat Panay on the Yangtze River in China in 1937. He was instrumental in bringing about the Japanese payment of $2,200,000 indemnity for the incident.

Admiral Yarnell served for many years in the Far East and was given free hand in meeting diplomatic problems on the spot. His construction of the United States stand during the year of the undeclared Sino-Japanese war came to be known as the "Yarnell policy." He adhered rigidly to the policy of "...duty of United States naval vessels is the protection of American citizens and they will go wherever it is necessary at any time..." For his services as Commander in Chief, Asiatic Fleet he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for which his citation states in part, "He has shown such exceptional ability, courage, tact, and devotion to duty...That he deserves the nation's highest praise..." He also held the Navy Cross.

Admiral Yarnell was recalled to active duty during the period of emergency prior to the outbreak of World War II to serve in the Office of the Secretary of the Navy as Special Advisor to the Chinese Military Mission, and later in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, until relieved of all active duty in December 1944. His decades of service included service in the Spanish-American War, the Phillipine Insurrection, the China relief expedition during the Boxer Rebellion, the occupation of Vera Cruz in 1914, World War I, and World War II.

He resided in Newport, Rhode Island until his death on July 2, 1959.

Admiral Yarnell had a U.S. Navy ship named for him. Below are the specifications on the ship U.S.S. Harry E. Yarnell "The Happy Harry"