Young, Lucien
Rear Admiral Lucien Young, USN, (1852-1912)
Lucien Young was born in Lexington, Kentucky, on 31 March 1852. He was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy in June 1869, graduating with the Class of 1873. While serving in USS Alaska in July of that year he was commended for heroism in saving the life of a shipmate who had fallen overboard. Commissioned an Ensign in July 1874, he was again commended for his conduct during the loss of USS Huron in November 1877 and was advanced to the rank of Master as a result. During the late 1870s and early 1880s, Young served in several ships and had shore duty in Washington, D.C. Promoted to Lieutenant in 1884, between then and early 1898 he served in the steam sloop Shenandoah, had two tours of duty with the cruiser Boston and one each on the cruiser Detroit and gunboats Yorktown and Alert. Among his service ashore during this time were assignments at the Torpedo Station and Naval war College, both at Newport, Rhode Island, and at the Office of Naval Records and Library in Washington, D.C.
During and after the Spanish-American War, Lieutenant Young commanded the converted yacht Hist and the transport Resolute. In 1899-1901, while a Lieutenant Commander, he was Commandant of the Naval Station at Havana, Cuba. In 1902-1905, following promotion to Commander, he was lighthouse inspector at Chicago, Illinois, and Commanding Officer of the cruiser Montgomery and gunboat Bennington. After the latter's terrible boiler explosion in July 1905, Young was assigned to the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, until the end of 1909. He became a Captain in 1906 and, in 1910, attained Flag rank. Rear Admiral Young was Commandant of the Pensacola Navy Yard in 1910-1911 and of the Key West Naval Station in 1911-1912. Rear Admiral Lucien Young died in New York City on 2 October 1912.
The destroyer Young (DD-580), of 1943-1970, was named in honor of Rear Admiral Lucien Young.
This page features all the views we have concerning Rear Admiral Lucien Young, USN, (1852-1912).
