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Adapted from the biographical sketch for Captain James Victor Query, USN. Biographies Branch, Navy Office of Information, 8 March 1950, now part of the Modern Biography files, Navy Department Library.

Topic
  • Theater of Operations--Pacific
  • Boats-Ships--Submarine
Document Type
  • Biography
Wars & Conflicts
  • World War II 1939-1945
File Formats
  • Image (gif, jpg, tiff)
Location of Archival Materials

James Victor Query

30 October 1903 - 4 December 1975


Image of Captain james. V. Query from the 1925 Lucky Bag, page 203.

James Victor Query was born in Harrisburg, North Carolina on 30 October 1903, son of Jay V. and Lola J. (Morrison) Query. He attended Charlotte, North Carolina, High School before entering the US Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, from his native state in 1921. Graduated and commissioned Ensign on 4 June 1925, he subsequently advanced in rank to that of Captain, to date from 20 July 1943.

Upon graduation from the Naval Academy in 1925, he was assigned to the USS New York, and served as a junior officer in that battleship, Flagship of Battleship Division 2, Scouting Fleet, until the summer of 1926. He then transferred to the USS Dallas, Squadron Leader, Squadron 9, Scouting Fleet, and served aboard for four years, the last year as her Engineering Officer. Reporting for instruction at the Submarine Base, New London, Connecticut, he qualified in submarines, and in 1931 was ordered to the Sixteenth Naval District, Cavite, Philippine Islands, where he had successive duty in the submarines S-30, and S-31, operating with Submarine Division 10, Asiatic Fleet.

Returning to Annapolis in 1933, he had postgraduate instruction in Applied Communication and General Line at the Postgraduate School. In July 1935 he reported for duty aboard the USS Tarpon, first operating under the Chief of Naval Operations, and later as a unit of Submarine Division 3, Submarine Force, and served as her Executive Officer and Navigator from 1937 to 1939. He was on duty at the Submarine Base, Pearl Harbor during a two year period ending July 1941.

Transferring to operations in the Atlantic, he was serving as Operations Officer on the staff of Commander, Submarine Squadron One, Atlantic Fleet, when the United States entered World War II on 8 December 1941. For meritorious service in that capacity from August 1941 until January 1944, he received a Letter of Commendation with authorization to wear the Commendation Ribbon from the Commander in Chief, Atlantic Fleet. After serving as Division Commander Submarines, Atlantic Fleet, during the entire year of 1944, he again transferred to the Pacific Theater where he had duty as Chief Staff Officer on the Staff of Commander Service Division 32 (later 102) Pacific Fleet. He received a Letter of Commendation (with Star for Commendation Ribbon) from the Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet, for "meritorious conduct in the performance of his duties as Chief Staff Officer to Commander Service Division 102 at Pearl Harbor in June 1945," and continued in that assignment until December 1946.

Ordered in December 1946 to Headquarters, Sixth Naval District Naval Base, Charleston, South Carolina, he served first as Senior Member of the Submarine Board of Inspection and Survey for that District, and on 30 June 1947 was designated Assistant Chief of Staff (Personnel) on the Staff of Commandant, Sixth Naval District. On 2 March 1949 he was ordered to duty as Commanding Officer of the USS General William Mitchell (AP 114). On 25 January 1950 he was ordered relieved of that command and back to the Sixth Naval District for duty as a Member of the Physical Evaluation Board. He retired from the service in May 1953. Captain Query died in Baltimore, Maryland 4 December 1975.

In addition to the Commendation Ribbon with star, Captain Query had the Yangtze Service Medal, the American Defense Service Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal.

Published: Thu Feb 19 07:04:43 EST 2015