Ships
- USS Tucson (CL-98) Captain from 3 February 1945 · Relieved in November 1946
Arthur DeLancey Ayrault commissioned the light cruiser Tucson (CL-98) on 3 February 1945 and, on the NavSource list, had her through November 1946. DANFS names him Captain Arthur D. Ayrault. NavSource prints the middle name Delancy. He retired a rear admiral.
Uboat.net gives his birth as 15 August 1901 at Rye, New York, and his death as 20 September 1985 at Tacoma, Washington, aged 84. Hall of Valor gives his home as Seattle, Washington, and leaves the birth and burial lines blank.
Uboat.net dates him midshipman from 16 August 1917, lieutenant (junior grade) from 9 July 1920, lieutenant from 5 June 1926, lieutenant commander from 30 June 1936, commander from 1 August 1940, and temporary captain from 20 June 1942. It lists one command before Tucson: the destroyer Paul Jones (DD-230), as lieutenant commander, from 10 January 1939 to 3 September 1939. It says it has no further career. The Navy Department Library page for him returned not found, so no Academy class is stated here.
He fitted out at San Francisco in the sense DANFS gives: she was commissioned there on 3 February 1945 with him in command, outfitted, shook down from San Diego, and sailed west on 8 May. She joined Task Force 38 at Leyte in June and sortied on 1 July for the last carrier strikes on Japan. Hall of Valor, recipient 306296, awards him the Legion of Merit with Combat "V" as commanding officer of Tucson, and as a task group commander under Commander Third Fleet, from 10 July to 14 August 1945. The citation says he handled the ship on detached special missions outside the range of effective support. DANFS for those same days describes her in the screen of Bogan's Task Group 38.3, off Tokyo, Hokkaido, northern Honshu, Shikoku, and then Tokyo again on 13 August. Japan capitulated on the 15th. She covered the occupation east of Honshu, reached San Francisco on 5 October, and from 29 October was an antiaircraft training ship at San Diego through August 1946. NavSource and uboat.net both end his command in November 1946 and give no day.
Uboat.net dates his retirement as rear admiral in June 1950. The next date fetched is his death at Tacoma on 20 September 1985. Captain Elmer Paul Abernethy is the next name on the Tucson list, from November 1946.