USS Compton ( DD - 705 ) USS " Compton " ( DD - 705 ) , an " Allen M . Sumner " - class destroyer , was named for Lewis Compton , who served in active duty in the Navy during World War I and Assistant Secretary of the Navy from 9 February 1940 to 13 February 1941 . The " Compton " was launched 17 September 1944 by Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Co . , Kearny , N . J . ; sponsored by Mrs . L . Compton ; and commissioned 4 November 1944 , Commander R . O . Strange in command . World War II . " Compton " cleared Norfolk 17 February 1945 for training at Pearl Harbor between 16 March and 5 April , when she sailed to escort ships to Kwajalein and Eniwetok . Sailing on to Ulithi , she cleared for Okinawa 20 April . As the operations there continued , " Compton " offered gunfire support to forces ashore and served in the antisubmarine and antiaircraft screens protecting shipping off the island . On 12 May she covered the occupation of nearby Tori Shima , and while returning to her station off Okinawa was attacked by a lone Japanese plane which she splashed . After repairs at Leyte from 17 May to 16 June 1945 , " Compton " returned to Okinawa for continued operations until 4 July , when she sailed to escort a convoy to Guam , returning to Leyte Gulf 10 July . For the remainder of the month , she screened ships training in the Gulf , then returned to Okinawa , where she lay at anchor in Buckner Bay until 25 August . During the summer of 1953 , Compton was the flagship of Destroyer Squadron 8 , and along with two cruisers , spent six weeks touring the Caribbean on a midshipman cruise carrying contract ( reserve ) midshipmen from universities around the country . The fleet of ten ships sailed from Norfolk and called at Coca Sola , Panama , Port of Spain , Trinidad , and Guantanamo Bay , Cuba and back to Norfolk . 1945 - 1968 . Sent then to carry mail to the 3rd Fleet at sea , " Compton " entered Sagami Wan 28 August . For the next 6 months , she served on patrol in the western Pacific , and acted as planeguard while air organizations were redistributed throughout the Far East . She cleared Yokosuka 21 February 1946 for San Pedro , California , arriving 15 March . Two weeks later she sailed to join the Atlantic Fleet , raising Portland , Maine , 16 April . After overhaul , she operated along the northeast coast and in the Caribbean until 3 February 1947 , when she sailed for her first tour of duty in the Mediterranean . Compton returned to her home port , Newport , Rhode Island , 14 August 1947 . Along with east coast operations , " Compton " cruised the Caribbean on intensive training and midshipmen cruises in the years that followed , as well as serving as schoolship and training members of the Naval Reserve . During her 1948 - 49 deployment to the Mediterranean , she had duty with the United Nations Palestine Patrol . She returned to the Mediterranean in 1951 , and in the late summer of 1952 cruised in European waters in NATO " Operation Mainbrace . " Assignment to duty with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean came once more in 1953 and 1955 , and in the spring of 1956 , " Compton " exercised off Bermuda with ships of the British Home Fleet in NATO operation " New Broom V . " " Compton " was serving at Bahrein in the Persian Gulf in the fall of 1956 when the Suez Crisis erupted , and stood by to evacuate American civilians in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea areas should that become necessary . With the Canal closed , " Compton " made her homeward passage by way of Mombasa , Durban , the Cape of Good Hope , Simonstown , Recife , and Trinidad , returning to Newport 8 January 1957 . That fall , she again cruised off the British Isles in a series of NATO operations . From November 1957 to April 1958 , she again served in the Mediterranean , the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea , and that summer cruised to Rotterdam and Bergen with midshipmen on board for training . From that time into 1960 , her operations were coastwise and in the Caribbean , as she aided research and development projects , including major meteorological research and gave service to the Fleet Sonar School at Key West . In August 1960 " Compton " again sailed to the Mediterranean for duty in the 6th Fleet . 1968 - 1972 . During 1968 - 9 , " Compton " served in the 1st Naval District ( headquartered at Boston , Massachusetts ) as a United States Naval Reserve Training Ship . She provided Naval Reserve enlistees in their first year of service at the ranks of seaman , seaman apprentice , and seaman recruit with a two - week training cruise . The reserve cruises supplemented the " boot camp " training which was conducted at Great Lakes , Great Lakes , Illinois . The ships routine for the cruises was to leave Boston , rendezvous with another destroyer and a submarine off the New England coast , perform anti - submarine warfare exercises , and proceed to Halifax , Nova Scotia , Canada , for a brief " liberty " , where the Canadian Navy would host sailors from " Compton " in its enlisted club . During these cruises , enlistees were given the opportunity to experience shipboard life , including firing the weapon systems such as Hedgehog , depth charge s , and 5 - inch ( 127 - millimeter ) 38 - caliber guns . Decommissioning . " Compton " was decommissioned on 17 September 1972 . She was stricken from the Navy List on 27 September 1972 . Brazilian Navy service . " Compton " was transferred to Brazil on 27 September 1972 . She served in the Brazilian Navy under the name " Matto Grasso " . " Matto Grosse " was stricken in July 1990 and scrapped . Honors and awards . " Compton " received one battle star for World War II service .