Captain Robert Bolling Kelly (June 9, 1913 – January 23, 1989) was an officer of the United States Navy who served during World War II.

[2] Kelly took part in the operation to evacuate General Douglas MacArthur and his staff from Corregidor to Mindanao, on the night of March 12–13, 1942[3] and was subsequently awarded the Silver Star.

[2] On the night of April 8–9, 1942 Bulkeley in PT-41 and Kelly in PT-34 engaged the Kuma off Cebu Island, firing several torpedoes, only one of which hit, but failed to explode.

[2] Kelly died of pneumonia at Howard County General Hospital in Columbia, Maryland,[2] and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

[7] MTB Squadron 3's exploits in the Philippines in 1941–42 were portrayed in the 1942 book They Were Expendable by William L. White, and the 1945 film of the same name, in which the character of "Rusty Ryan", played by John Wayne, was based on Kelly.