Welcome to the USS Compton DD-705 Guestbook Forum

Years Served: 1969-1971…Came aboard in june1969 as a sa out of bootcamp.Was in Deck Dept working for BM1 Garza and BM1 Mariner.Knew BM3 Dickie and BM3 Oakley.Was in Weapons Dept as Torpedoman working for TM2 Shipman and TM2 Silverhaus.Retired in 1993 as TMC and now back in Alabama watching the grass grow.

Years Served: 1963 – 1964…Joined Compton in June 1963 fresh out of NROTC while she was at Key West. Served as the Damage Control Assistant under Capts Dittler and Drake. Enroute from Guantanamo to Newport when President Kennedy was assassinated. Made Med cruise in 1964 with USNA Midshipmen. Transferred in Dec 1964 while Compton was in drydock in Boston. Capt Dittle provided great opportunities for young officers to learn shiphandling.

Years Served: 1971-1972…I was in the Navigation dept. Qm3. Made many trips between Boston and Newport taking the Reserves on their duty weekends. Made the trip down to Nassau and Ft Lauderdale for Easter week. Lots of seasick reserves rounding Cape Cod. Remembering the day we practiced setting off all the depth charges and rattling our teeth and breaking our eardrums firing that big cannon.

Boot cruise on the Compton in 1966. It was a great learning experience. Made a (slow) trip to the Boatswains’ locker in rough weather, had clean up where somebody puked under mount 52, saw mount 53 shoot down an aerial target. Assigned to USS Monrovia APA-31 66-68. US Army 77-98

My Dad Clem Matalonis was a plank owner on the USS Compton during WWII.