Captain James T. Lay, USN
Captain James T. Lay, USN, was born on January 6, 1909, in St. Clair, Missouri. He attended St. Clair High School prior to entering the U.S. Naval Academy in June, 1927. Graduating with the Class of 1931, he received his commission on 4 June.
The battleship USS VIRGINIA was Captain Lay's first assignment following commissioning, with billets on the USS PORTLAND, USS AUGUSTA, and USSSCHENCK filling important parts in his years as a junior officer. He was then selected for postgraduate training in Ordnance Engineering at the Naval Postgraduate School, Annapolis, Maryland.
Duty assignments in World War II included the cruiser USS LOUISVILLE; Staff, Commander, Amphibious Group THREE and Staff, Commander THIRD Amphibious Force. Postwar duties brought a tour in the Bureau of Ordnance, followed by command of the destroyer USS ORLECK and as Officer-In-Charge, Gunfire Support School, Amphibious Training Command, Pacific
Captain Lay served as Ass't Plans and Operations Officer on the Staff of Commander SECOND Fleet and fleeted up Plans and Operations Officer to his detachment in January, 1954.
Before reporting to HELENA, Captain Lay served one year as Commanding Officer of the attack cargo ship USS VERMILION and nearly three years as Deputy Chief of Staff, Headquarters Armed Forces Special Weapons Project, Washington, D.C. He took command of HELENA on December 7, 1957.
Captain Lay's decorations include the Legion of Merit, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, China Service Medal, and the Navy Occupation Medal (Japan). He is married to the former Miss Catherine V. Nimitz of Washington, D.C. Captain and Mrs. Lay and their three sons, reside at 285 Argonne Avenue, Long Beach, California
(This short bio was copied from the USS Helena CA-75 1958 cruise book)