Stark, Harold Raynsford (1880–1972), a United States naval officer. As chief of naval operations, 1939–42, he directed rapid expansion of the U.S. Navy following the outbreak of World War II in Europe. He organized the Atlantic antisubmarine patrol and was commander of naval forces in Europe during 1942–45. Stark was born at Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1903. In World War I he was an aide to Admiral Sims, who commanded the United States naval forces in European waters. Stark was chief of the bureau of Ordnance of the Navy, 1933–37, and then commanded cruiser forces, 1937–39. He retired in 1946 as a full admiral.