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Guided Missile Cruiser
DLG 17 / CG 17 - USS Harry E. Yarnell
		USS Harry E. Yarnell (CG 17)					US Navy photo
Type, Class:		Guided Missile Cruiser; Leahy - class; built as DLG 17; redesignated to CG 17: June 30, 1975;
Builder:		Bath Iron Works; Bath, Maine, USA
STATUS:		Awarded: November 7, 1958 Laid down: May 31, 1960 (as DLG 17) Launched: December 9, 1961 (as DLG 17) Commissioned: February 2, 1963 (as DLG 17) Redesignated CG 17: June 30, 1975 Decommissioned: October 29, 1993; Fate: sold for scrap / scrapping completed: April 17, 2002.
Homeport:		-
Namesake:		Admiral Harry Ervin Yarnell (1875 – 1959)
Ship’s Motto:		-
Technical Data: (Measures, Propulsion, Armament, Aviation, etc.)		see: INFO >> Guided Missile Cruiser / Leahy – Class
Pictures, photos & more ...
Harry Ervin Yarnell
Photo credits: US Navy, US Naval Historical Center,
Namesake & History:
Admiral Harry Ervin Yarnell (1875 – 1959):
Admiral Harry Ervin Yarnell (18 October 1875 - 7 July 1959) was an American naval officer whose career spanned 51 years and three wars, from the Spanish-American War through World War II. Early Life and Naval Career Born near Independence, Iowa, he entered the U.S. Naval Academy in 1893. After serving in Oregon (BB-3) during the Battle of Santiago, 3 July 1898, Yarnell was commissioned ensign 1 July 1899 and reported to the Asiatic Station. He served in the Philippines during the Aguinaldo Insurrection and on the China Station during the Boxer Rebellion. Assignments Through World War I From Asia Yarnell reported to Connecticut (BB-18) at her commissioning, and sailed around the world with the Great White Fleet. Next, duty at the Newport Torpedo Station, on CINOLANT's staff, and at the Naval War College occupied him until World War I, when he served at Gibraltar and then at London, on the staff of Admiral William S. Sims. Interwar Assignments Yarnell then rotated between sea and shore duty until ordered to aircraft carrier Saratoga (CV-3) 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 Engineering as Rear Admiral. From January to April 1930 Admiral Yarnell was Naval Adviser to the American delegation at the London Naval Conference, 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. World War II After three years' service, Admiral Yarnell was transferred to the Retired List; but on 1 November 1941, as war loomed he was recalled to the office of the Secretary of the Navy as Special Adviser to the Chinese Military Mission. Admiral 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. Admiral Yarnell died in 1959 at Newport, Rhode Island, his home since his retirement. Among the awards and medals earned in his long and distinguished career were the Navy Cross, the Distinguished Service Medal, the Diploma and Decoration of the Companion of the Order of the British Empire, and the Cloud Standard, Second Class, of the Government of China.
USS Harry E. Yarnell (DLG 17 / CG 17):
USS Harry E. Yarnell (DLG/CG-17), a Leahy-class guided missile cruiser, was a ship of the United States Navy named in honor of Admiral Harry E. Yarnell (1875–1959). Originally called a "destroyer leader" or frigate, in 1975 she was redesignated a cruiser in the Navy's ship reclassification. Harry E. Yarnell was launched 9 December 1961 by the Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine; sponsored by Mrs. Philip Yarnell, widow of the late Admiral Yarnell; and commissioned 2 February 1963 at the Boston Naval Shipyard, Captain Charles E. Nelson in command. Second of the "double-end" Leahy-class guided missile frigates to join America's sea-going arsenal, Harry E. Yarnell was equipped with Terrier surface-to-air missile launching tubes both fore and aft and ASROC anti-submarine missiles, as well as more conventional torpedo tubes and guns. Before taking her place in America's powerful deterrent force, the new ship was fitted out at Boston and received a grim reminder that even in peacetime the sea can be a powerful enemy. As she was out on trials, Yarnell was diverted 10 April 1963 to search for USS Thresher (SSN-593), the nuclear submarine later found on the bottom some 8,000 feet down. Quartering the area where the sub was last reported, the guided missile frigate found an oil slick and some debris but could not contact the lost submarine. On her way to her new home base at Norfolk 23 April, Harry E. Yarnell passed and photographed several Russian "merchant" ships. The next few months were spent conducting training for shakedown and missile qualification. Designated to carry out standardization trials for her class as well as special acoustical tests, Yarnell spent 28 October - 26 November in the Caribbean operating out of Guantanamo Bay and then returned to Norfolk. Yarnell continued operating in the Virginia Capes area and the Caribbean until departing Norfolk 8 September 1964 for her first Atlantic crossing. NATO ASW exercises en route took the guided missile frigate far north, and she crossed the Arctic circle on the 21st. She visited Amsterdam en route to the Mediterranean, where she remained until returning to Norfolk in February 1965. On her next Mediterranean deployment, which began 8 October, she transited the Dardanelles 3 January 1966 and entered the Black Sea to operate close to the Soviet Union before returning to Norfolk in March. After NATO exercises in the North Atlantic, Harry E. Yarnell received the battle efficiency "E" for the preceding year. Operations in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean brought the fine ship and her crew to a high degree of readiness before she sailed for her 3rd Med deployment early in 1967. She cruised the Mediterranean ready to help snuff out trouble, should it occur in that troubled area, until returning to Norfolk in May. At mid-year she operated in the North Atlantic, honing her fighting edge to prepare for the challenges of the future. The entire Leahy class was given an AAW upgrade during the late-1960s and early 1970s. The 3/50s were replaced by 8 AGM-84 Harpoon missiles, the Terrier launchers were upgraded to fire the Standard missile, and 2 Phalanx CIWS were added. All were upgraded under the late-1980s NTU program. This included new radars, a new combat system, new fire control systems, and upgraded missiles and missile launchers. Harry E. Yarnell was decommissioned 20 October 1993, and stricken 29 October 1993. She was sold 14 April 1995 for scrapping at Quonset Point, RI, but the scrap contract was terminated 1 December 1996 (scrapping 10% complete), and the hulk returned to Philadelphia for storage.
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