Abbot, Jr., James L. "Doc", Rear Admiral, USN (Ret)

Born June 26, '18; son of Helen (Taylor) Abbot & CAPT J.Lloyd Abbot, USNR(USNA '12); married '41 to Marjorie Grubbs of Norfolk, VA (passed awary Aug 26, '74); three children: CAPT (Ret) J.Llloyd Abbot III, USN, ADM (Ret) Charles S. Abbot, USN, Mary Neville Abbot...This is an All-Navy Family.  Like their father, Admiral Abbot's son's are Naval Aviators and "Tail Hookers".  Admiral Abbot's brother is the Rev R. Taylor Abbot, CDR (Ret) USNR.  His late sister was LCDR (W) (Ret) Helen T. Abbot, USNR.  Two grandsons are Naval Aviators and "Tail Hookers".  LCDR Charles Spencer Abbot (UNA '95) flies the "Hornet" in a squadron at Oceana, VA, '08; Lt Matthew llloyd Abbot (USNA '00) left his "Super Hornet" squadron and is now ('08) a flight instructor at Kingsville.  In Sept '75, Admiral Abbot married a widow (his High School Classmate)Margaret (Pratt) White.  This marriage increased the number of children from 3 to 5; grandchildren count is nineteen (19): 11 boys, 8 girls (counts spouses), 6 Great Grandchildren.

Command and Flag Officer Billets include: Commanding Officer (CO), Scouting Squadron Sixty Six (VS-66), Mar '43-Mar '44 (LT); CO, Fighter Squadron Forty Two (VF-42), Oct '46-Dec '48 (LCDR); CO, Utility Squadron Four (VU-4), Jan '51-July '52 (CDR); CO, USS Valcour (AVP-55), Sept '60-Mar '61 (CAPT); CO, USS Intrepid (CVA-11), Mar '61-June '62 (CAPT); Director of Naval Warfare Analysis (OPNAV, Op-91), RADM, July '66-Feb '67; Commander U.S. Naval Support Force, Antarctica, Feb '67-June '69 (RADM); Commander Carrier Division Sixteen, June '69-'Oct '70 (RADM); Inspector General, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, Oct '70-July '72 (RADM); Director of Naval Educational Development, Nov '72-Apr '74 (RADM).

Decorations: Legion of Merit (2), Air Medal, Navy Commendation Medal & various Service, Area and Victory medals.

Post-Active Duty:

Boards of Directors, completed hitches: Mobile Chapter American Red Cross; Mobile Kiwanis Club; Mobile Chapter Freedoms Foundation; Friends of The Library; SecNav Advisory Committee ofr Retired Personnel; The Retired Officers Association (formerly TROA, now MOAA) First Vice Chairman of the Board; U.S. Naval Institute: Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce 9Vice Chairman for Military Affairs); Naval Academy Alumnae Association; USS Alabama Battleship Commission (Chairman '95-'96); Mobile Maritime Museum Foundation.

Boards of Directors (current '08): Mobile Council Navy League (Past President); Naval Aviation Museum Foundation (Southeast Regional Director); Mobile Bay Area Veterans Day Commission (President '91); USS Alabama Battleship Foundation (Chairman '96).

Memberships : Army-Navy Country Club; Mobile Country Club; Mobile Touchdown Club; Mobile Kiwanis Club; Mobile Community Foundation (Founder Member); Alabama Gulf Coast Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA); Ends of The Earth, Explorer's Club; Naval Academy Athletic Association; Air Force Association.

Life Memberships: The Golden Eagles; Tailhook Association; U.S. Naval Institute; Navy League of the United Staes; Association of Naval Aviation (Member Nol. 39); National Defense University Foundation; INTREPID Sea-Air-Space museum; Military Officers Association of Americ (MOAA); National War College Alumni.

Associations: U.S.N.A. Alumni Association; Naval Submarine League; Naval Aviation Museum Foundation; Naval Reserve Association. 

Sports/Hobbies...(..."used to be"!!!): Tennis, Golf, Boating, Swimming, Photography, Fishing.

Special Qualifications : Commerical Pilot's license; Ocean Operator's ("Hundred Ton") license. Has made 57 boat deliveries since 1975, most of them being new BETRAM's brought from the facory in Miami to Mobile.  Two power boats were delivered from Fl to Tulsa, OK; one from Cape May, NJ to Ft. Lauderdale, FL; a 60' ketch was sailed from north Haven Maine to Corner Brook Newfoundland; from San Juan to Camden, Maine; from Greenwich, CT to Oxford, MD; and from Antigua to Newport, R.I.  More recently a 75' sloop was sailed from Oxford, MD to Savannah, GA in Nov '91; form Miami to Newport in May '92; from Guatemala to Newport in April '93; and from Greenwich to Annapolis in Oct '93.  On Aug 12, '97, Admiral Abbot was summonedto a meeting of the Mobile City Council, where he was Commissioned as Mobile's "FIRST SEA LORD".  On 12 Apr, '01, Admiral Abbot was one of three living graduates of Murphy High School to be inducted into the first class of the "Murphy High School Alumni Association's HALL of FAME".  On 16 Sept '02, at Cirrus Design factory, Duluth, Minn, Admiral Abbot took delivery of his new CIRRUS SR20 airplane, and with Grandson Matthew flew it back to mobile.  From 28 to 30 Oct, '04, Admiral Abbot attended his Naval Academy Class' Sixty Fifth (65th) Reunion, which, as General Manager, he'd been working on for a year and a half. In Nov., '06, he was privileged to be the "Ceremonial Skipper" of INTREPID during an attempt to get her out of the mud at her pier.  In April '08 he took over as "Acting President" of his Naval Academy Class, and was subsequently Elected President of the Class in June '08.  In Oct '08 he was again embarked in INTREPID, as her "Ceremonial Skipper", as she returned up the Hudson River, fllying Admiral abbot's two-star flag, to her re-built pier.

                Date of Designation: August 29, '41 - NA#8529          Dates of Active Duty: June '35 - April '74

                Total Flight Hours: 4,404                                             Carrier/Ship Landings: Fixed: 146

Approximate Flight Hours: Jet: 10, Prop: 4,394, VD/VA: 1,000, VR/VP: 500, VS: 1,000, VU/VFP: 500, VT: 1,000

Combat Tours: WWII: VR Squadron in South Pacific - not considered combat.

Duty Assignment Chronology :

Midshipman/Ensign/Lt(jg) and LT Assignments: U.S. Naval Academy, Midshipman (6/35-6/39); USS Enterprise (CV-6), Assistant Navigator (June '39-Sept '39); USS Gilmer (DD-233), All billets except CO & XO (Sept '39-Mar Pensacola and Miami); Advanced Carrier Training Group, Pacific (Dec '41-Nov '42); Operations Officer, Scouting Squadron 1-D14 (VS 1-D-14) (Dec '42-Mar '43); CO, Scouting Squadron Sixty Six (VS-66).

LCDR & CMDR Assigments: Staff, Chief of Naval Air Training (Mar '44-July '46); Fighter Refresher Training (Miami) (July '46-Oct '46); CO, Fighter Squadron Forty two (VBF-75/VF-4B/VF-42); OPNAV (OP-542, Aviation Training Division) (Jan '49-Jan '51); CO, Utility Squadron Four (VU-4) (Jan '51-July '52); Studen, Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk (July '52-Jan '53); Plans & Operations Officer, CNABATRA, Pensacola, FL (Jan '53-July '55); Operations Officer, then XO, USS Lake Champlain (CVA-39) (July '55-July '56); Operations Officer, Carrier Divsion Two (July '56-Aug '57).

Captain Assignments: Assistant Commandant, then XO, Bancroft Hall, U.S. Naval Academy (Aug '57-Aug '60); USS Valcour (AVP-55) (Sept '60-Mar '61); CO, USS Intrepid (CVA-11) (Mar '61-June '62); Chief of Staff, Carrier Division Five (July '62-July '63); Student, National War College (Night School at George Washington University) (Aug '63-Aug '64); Director Mid-Range Studies, OPNAV, OP-912 (Aug '64-July '66).

Flag Officer Assignments : Director of Naval Warfare Analyses (OPNAV, OP-91) (July '66-Mar '67); Commander, U.S. Naval Support Force, Antarctica (Feb '67-June '69); Commander Carrier Division Sixteen (June '69-Oct '70); Inspector General, U.S. Atlantic Fleet (Oct '70-June '72); Director of Naval Educational Development (CNETstaff).

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