Captain John "L" Butts, Jr., relieved Captain Epes April 20, 1964 in a colorful ceremony at sea. Captain Butts is KITTY HAWK's fourth skipper.

Captain Butts was born December 20, 1920, at Miami, Florida and entered the Navy in April 1941 as a Naval Aviation cadet after spending two years at the University of Mississippi.

He was commissioned Ensign October 16, 1941, and subsequently was designated as a Naval Aviator. After serving as a flight instructor he went into combat in January of 1943 as Operations Officer for Bombing Squadron NINETEEN in the Pacific. He flew missions during the Philippine Sea Battles and the Marianas Campaign.

He was awarded the Navy Cross for his action as a single plane attack on the main body of the Imperial Japanese Fleet on October 24, 1944, during the Battle for Leyte Gulf.

Following World War II, he filled various squadron billets, and during the Korean Conflict was Commanding Officer of VF-112.

He then attended and was graduated from General Line School at Monterey, Calif., and went on for two years of duty in the Office of Chief of Naval Operations in Washington, D.C.

Three command billets followed in succession; Commanding Officer of VF-51, Fleet Air Gunnery Unit Pacific at El Centro, Calif., and Advance Training Unit 206 at NAS Pensacola, Fla.

In April of 1959 he went to the East Coast to become Executive Officer of USS SARATOGA (CVA-60) until August 1960 when he returned to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations at Washington. He attained the rank of Captain to date from July 1, 1961.

On January 1, 1963, he became Commanding Officer of the fleet oiler, USS PLATTE (AO-24) until detached early in 1964 to become skipper of KITTY HAWK.

Besides the Navy Cross, Captain Butts wears the Distinguished Flying Cross with five gold stars, Air Medal with six gold stars, Presidential Unit Citation with two gold stars, Navy Unit Commendation with gold star and campaign and service medals earned during World War II and the Korean Conflict.