At the Battle of Midway, his unit found the main Japanese fleet and launched an unsupported (no protection from fighter planes) attack. Of the thirty pilots and radiomen, all were shot down and Gay was the only survivor. While in the water, he observed the dive bomb attack which destroyed three of the four Japanese aircraft carriers present.
Following the battle, he took part in the Guadalcanal campaign, and would later be a navy flight instructor.
After the war, he became a pilot for TWA. He often lectured on his Midway experiences.
Following his death, Gay was cremated and his ashes were spread over the Pacific in the same place his squadron launched their ill-fated attack.
Gay was the only survivor of the thirty pilots and radiomen in that attack.
Ensign Gay served with Torpedo Squadron Eight (VT-8) on USS Hornet (CV-8), and was the only survivor of thirty Hornet torpedo plane pilots and aircrewmen who attacked the Japanese fleet on 4 June 1942, during the Battle of Midway.
Ensign Gay was the sole Battle of Midway aircrew survivor of USS Hornet's Torpedo Squadron Eight.
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