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Contact Info
Home Town Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Last Address Beale Air Force Base, California
Date of Passing Dec 03, 1970
Location of Interment Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia
Rear Admiral Herbert James Ray (1 February 1893 – 3 December 1970) was an officer in the United States Navy who served in World War I and World War II. A 1914 graduate of the Naval Academy, he served on the submarines USS H-2 and N-3 during World War I. In March 1942, as Chief of Staff and Aide to the Commandant of the Sixteenth Naval District, Rear Admiral Francis W. Rockwell, he participated in General Douglas MacArthur's escape from the Philippines. In Australia, he served with MacArthur's General Headquarters, Southwest Pacific Area staff. In September 1943, he became Captain of the battleship USS Maryland, which he commanded in the Battle of Tarawa, Battle of Kwajalein, Battle of Saipan and the Battle of Peleliu. In October 1944, he participated in the Battle of Surigao Strait, in which Maryland joined the other battleships in engaging the Japanese battleships Fuso and Yamashiro and their escorts. Ray left Maryland in December 1944, and was appointed Deputy Director of the Naval Division of the US Control Group Council for Germany. After VE Day, he became the Junior United States Member of the Tripartite Naval Commission in Berlin. He retired from the Navy on 30 June 1949, and received a tombstone promotion to rear admiral due to his combat decorations.
Nevada Class Battleship: Displacement 27,500 Tons, Dimensions, 583' (oa) x 95' 3" x 29' 7" (Max). Armament 10 x 14"/45 21 x 5"/51, 2 x 21" tt. Armor, 13 1/2" Belt, 18" Triple Turrets, 16" Dual turrets, 3" Second (armor) Deck, 2 1/2" Third (splinter) Deck 16" Conning Tower. Machinery, 26,500 SHP; Geared Turbines, 2 screws. Speed, 20.5 Knots, Crew 864.
Operational and Building Data: Laid down by Fore River, Shipbuilding, Quincy, MA., November 4, 1912. Launched July 11, 1914. Commissioned March 11, 1916. Decommissioned August 29, 1946. Stricken August 12, 1948.
Fate: Target During Atomic Bomb Tests, Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands. Sunk, off Oahu, July 31 1948, by Gunfire from Iowa BB-61 and 3 Heavy Cruisers.
