Helena (CA 75) - Naval Cruise Book

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COMMANDING OFFICER Coptain Jomej T. Loy, USN, woj born on Jonuory 6, 1909, in St. Cloir, Missouri. He attended St. Clair High School prior to entering the U.S. Naval Academy in June, 1927. Graduating with the Closs of 1931, he received his commission on 4 June. The battleship USS VIRGINIA wos Coptoin Lay ' s first assignment following commissioning, with billets on the USS PORTLAND, USS AUGUSTA, and USS SCHENCK filling important ports in his years as a junior officer. He was then selected for postgraduate troining in Ordnance Engineering ot the Naval Postgraduote School, Annapolis, Maryland. Duty assignments in World Wor II included the cruiser USS LOUISVILLE; Staff, Commonder Amphibious Group THREE and Stoff, Commander THIRD Amphibious Force. Postwor duties brought o tour in the Bureau of Ordnance, followed by command of the destroyer USS ORLECK ond as Offlcer-in-chorge, Gunfire Support School, Amphib ious Training Commend, Pacific. Captain Lay served as Ass ' t. Plons and Operations Officer on the Stoff of Commander SECOND Fleet and fleeted up to Plons and Opera- tions Officer prior to his detachment in January, 1954. Before reporting to HELENA, Captain Lay served one yeor as Commanding Officer of the attock cargo ship USS VERMILION and nearly three years OS Deputy Chief of Stoff, Heodquorters Armed Forces Speciol Weapons Project, Washington, DC. He took command of HELENA on December 7, 1957. Captain Ley ' s decorotions include the Legion of Merit, Asiotic-Pociflc Campaign Medal, Chino Service Medal, ond the Navy Occupation Medal (Jopon). He is morried to the former Miss Cotherine V. Nimiti of Washing- ton, D.C. Coptoin and Mrs. Lay and their three sons, James, Jr., Chester, ond Richard, reside at 285 Argonne Avenue, Long Beoch, California.

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CHIEF OF STAFF Born in Laconia, New Hampshire, on Christmas Day in 1908, Captain Arthur F. Spring, Chief of Staff, U.S. SEVENTH Fleet, attended public schools there. He received appointment to the United States Naval Academy in 1926 and was graduated and commis- sioned Ensign in the Class of 1930. An outstanding midshipman, he played varsity football and basketball and was a member of the Ail-American La Crosse Team for three years. Among other positions of leadership. Captain Spring served as Executive Officer aboard USS MISSOURI end as Commanding Officer, USS MOUNT KATMAI before promotion to the rank of Captain in July, 1949. He then served under the Joint Chiefs of StatT before assuming command of the transport ship USS RENVILLE in 1954. -or fourteen months, he served as Zhief of StotT for Commander Traln- ng Command, U.S. Pacific Fleet. In October, 1956, Captain Spring assumed command of USS HELENA )nd remained in that position until jrdered to his present assignment. ie has now been selected for idvoncement to the rank of Rear kdmiral and been ordered to command if the United States Naval Base, ubic Bay, Philippine Islands. He will ssume this position in February, 1959. Captain Spring is married to the ormer Miss Clare Murphy of San rancisco, California. They have one on, LTJG Arthur Thomas Spring, who 2cently graduated from submarine ■aining in New London, Connecticut.

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Commander John R. Beordall, Jr., USN, was born April 8, 1919, in Annapolis, Maryland. The son of RADM and Mrs. J.R. Beardall, he at- tended schools in the United States and Europe and received an appoint- ment to the United States Naval Academy in 1937. He was Commis- sioned an Ensign in the Class of 1941 and received orders to USS RALEIGH, then at Pearl Harbor. Shortly there- after, the now-historic attack took place, and Ensign Beardall had good opportunity to make use of his naval training. During the remainder of World War II, the exec saw duty on USS CLEVE- LAND, USS WEEKS, and USS MOALE, followed by command of USS VaRIAN and USS TOLLBERG in 1945. CDR. Beardall then attended one year of postgraduate education at the U.S. Naval Academy and two years of study at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, culminating in the award- ing of a Master of Science Degree in electrical engineering. In the years 1949-1951, CDR. Beardall was Gunnery Officer on USS WORCESTER, after which he took command of USS BLACK in the Paci- fic. He then attended Guided Missile School, followed by a tour of duty in the Guided Missile Research section of the Bureau of Ordnance. From 1955 until 1958, CDR. Beardall was NATO Plans Officer on the Staff of Commander, SECOND Fleet. He reported to HELENA in May, 1958. ; CDR. Beardall is married to the former Miss Elizabeth Beverley of Berryville, Virginia. They have two daughters, Elizabeth 9, and Edith 5. EXECUTIVE OFFICER