William G. Kelly enlisted in the US Navy on 2 July 1929. After being sworn in at Salt Lake City, Utah, Kelly was sent to San Diego, California for eight weeks of basic training, which he completed on 13 September 1929. He remained at San Diego on telephone detail until 16 December when he shipped out on USS Chaumont for transit to the Asiatic Station. On 14 February 1930, (1/c) Kelly joined USS Luzon, then assigned to the Yangtze Patrol. He served with that ship until 1933 when he was assigned to USS Henderson. He made two cruises with Henderson before returning to the United States in 1935. From 1935 to 1939 he served in a number of billets that included duty at NAS Pensacola, NAS San Diego, and a cruise with USS Nitro. On 24 April 1941, Kelly was assigned to USS Wasp. No further information is available on his subsequent service with the US Navy.
From the description of William G. Kelly papers, 1930-1942 1931-1938. (Colgate University). WorldCat record id: 58565055
