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Jones, Captain Ray S. Papers  

Dates: 1917-1987

Collection Number: COLL/180

Finding aid (Word)

Biographical Note

Ray Stanley Jones was born in Martin's Ferry, Ohio, on 26 June 1889. He enlisted in the Navy on 28 September 1912 as a Machinist's Mate Second Class (MM2/c). Beginning in October, he served on USS Buffalo. Promoted to MM1/c on 1 January 1914, he continued his service on Buffalo until January 1915, when he transferred to USS West Virginia. After three weeks on West Virginia, he was reassigned to USS Pittsburgh on 27 January. He was discharged from the Navy on 10 October 1916 when his enlistment expired.

In January 1917, Jones enrolled in the Naval Reserve and was transferred to the receiving ship at San Francisco in March. The following month, he was assigned briefly to USS Oregon before returning to USS Pittsburgh. On 16 August 1917, Jones was advanced to the rating of Chief Machinist's Mate, and in February 1918 was appointed a Warrant Machinist. He continued to serve on Pittsburgh until April, when he was temporarily stationed at the New York Navy Yard while awaiting further orders. Reassigned in May to USS Frederick, Jones spent just over two years there before reporting to USS Bridgeport in October 1920.

After two years on Bridgeport, Jones was detached in October 1922 for service in New York with the Sixth Naval District. Appointed a Chief Machinist on 4 September 1924, he was transferred to duty on USS Rail in November of that year. Jones served on Rail until May 1927, when he was detached for duty on USS Mississippi, before being reassigned to Puget Sound Navy Yard in October.

Jones next served on USS Colorado, arriving there in August 1929. After four years with Colorado, he returned to shore duty, serving as Assistant Inspector with boiler manufacturer Babcock and Wilcox in Barberton, Ohio, beginning in October 1933. By January 1935, Jones had been transferred to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he was serving as Resident Inspector of Naval Material. After being relieved in Chattanooga, Jones reported to USS Saratoga in September 1935.

From 1938 until 1940, Jones served on the destroyer tender USS Altair. His next duty station was at Pearl Harbor, where he arrived in June 1940. In November 1941, while serving at Pearl Harbor, Jones was appointed a Lieutenant. He was again promoted on 3 May 1943, being advanced to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. On 8 August 1943, Jones departed Pearl Harbor to assume his new duties at Puget Sound Navy Yard. While at Puget Sound, he made frequent trips around the northwestern United States to attend conferences and inspect material for use by the Navy.

Promoted to Commander in August 1945, Jones continued to serve at Puget Sound until 16 May 1946, when he was detached from active duty. He was placed on the retired list on 1 November of that year with the rank of Captain.


Scope and Content Note

This collection contains personal and official papers of Captain Ray S. Jones. There are two series in the collection. Series I, Correspondence, contains both outgoing and incoming mail. Much of this series is made up of official correspondence relating to Jones' Navy service. Included among the official correspondence are orders, duty assignments, leave requests, and documents related to his promotions and commissioning. Also in the Correspondence series are letters of commendation received by Jones, correspondence with the Veteran's Administration following his retirement, and a few personal letters. The documents in this series are grouped by type and arranged chronologically.

The second series, Miscellaneous, contains a history of USS Moreno for 1943 and a newspaper clipping about Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf.


Preferred Citation

This collection should be cited as Papers of Ray S. Jones, Archives Branch, Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington, D.C.


Subject Headings (LCSH)

World War, 1939-1945--Naval Operations, American.
Moreno (Fleet ocean tug : ATF-87)
United States. Navy--Officers--Correspondence.
United States. Navy--History--Sources.


Extent

0.25 cubic feet

 

 

Published: Tue Aug 03 13:59:31 EDT 2021