[Fred Douglass]

Even though I'm a mere sprout (closing in on 64), I too served as a Weaps officer on TWO WW II-era destroyers. Both the USS Compton and USS Damato were "all gun" Sumner class modified with 14 extra feet Loa. The latter mod was to enhance fuel bunkerage for Pacific duty. We had 5"x38/45s, Bofors 40mm, .50 cals., Mk. 48-53 torps., etc. as noisemakers. One of the two ships had the 40 mms removed and replaced with 3"x50s (a late-war mod. which I still don't understand).

I uster work for "Dr. Titanic" (ego) Bob Ballard as his ship-researcher and finder. As such, I found a buncha sunken ships around Savo Island (Guadalcanal, Solomon Is.) for his "Ghost Ships of Guadalcanal" program. O'course---being a research/archaelogost slave, I didn't get to go. THEN, on my own, about 5 years ago, I started taking Marine and Navy (mostly) veterans back to their WW II digs.

That was some fascinating stuff. My sister (Janie Carter) and the estimable Ronnie Widener ("Ron61" hereabouts) have collaborate in posting some of my "South Pacific" shots. None of my worthy WW II cans, however (we weren't encouraged to shoot too many photos when on duty). The reason for their collaboration is my (apparently) incurable incompetence with a compootah! Yippeee. Remember, I was a PRE-missile Gunnery Officer.Ar-ar-ar!

Hats off to your veteran relatives. "Iron Eagle" (a book about Curtis LeMay) has quite a bit about the B-29s and their combustible magnesium-block engines(!).....

Carrion,