| Charles Bampfield Yule | |
| Birth Date: | 1806 |
| Death Date: | 1 November 1878 |
| Death Place: | Anderton, Cornwall, England |
| Allegiance: |  United Kingdom |
| Rank: | Captain |
Captain Charles Bampfield Yule, R.N. (1806 – 1 November 1878 at Anderton, Cornwall, United Kingdom) was an explorer and author of the Admiralty Australia Directory.
The third son of Commander John Yule RN who served with Nelson at Trafalgar and a mother who was the daughter of Bampfield Carslake, Charles Bampfield Yule was the brother of the Reverend John Carslake Duncan Yule.[1] While a Lieutenant, he commanded as part of the surveying expedition led by Frances Blackwood from 1842 to 1845. Yule discovered and named Heron Island off Queensland, Australia on 11 January 1843.[2] He continued on to survey the coast of New Guinea in 1846 and assisted Owen Stanley in his New Guinea expedition of 1848–1849. Although Yule claimed New Guinea for Great Britain, his claim was not recognised by the British government (although Great Britain was later to officially claim southeastern New Guinea in 1884).[3] His survey work was incorporated into volumes of the Australia Directory from 1853 to 1868.[4] [5] [6]
Yule Island in Papua-New Guinea is most likely named after Yule, although he did not claim credit for its discovery.[3]
During his command, Bramble was attached to during survey duties on the East Indies Station, mainly around the coast of Eastern Australia and New Guinea. Some were published in the form of sailing directions, such as that Endeavour Strait in 1845.[7] before being compiled into The Australia Directory.[5]