I just read your comments about my beloved god father captain Wilhelm Frederick Bondeson . He was born in Goteborg, Sweden And rests in the family plot I was notified by the U S consulate when he died. In1947 my father was first mate to uncle bill and was asked to be a god father. He was under cover OSS, officer spoke 4 languages and helped with the German infiltration to the u s.

The Captain was a good friend of my dad and family. We called him Uncle Bill. It was wonderful to see his photo and information on his ship.
Thank you. Judith

Made a lot of great friends on Hess, Bowditch, and Dutton

Enjoyed long tours on all three ships but the Dutton was my favorite

Between Jan 1984 and Aug 1989 I spent more time on the Dutton than I did at home.

Four months after the Dutton was retired I left NAVO.

I sailed on the last voyage of both the Bowditch and Dutton

Still hear from friends from all 3 ships. Feel free to share my email

Great site! It brings back many great memories. A big hello to all the people that I met on the journey! - John Livingstone

Unit yeoman. Responsible for records. Streamed magnetometer with Bill Dutcher the photographer.

I joined Oceanographic Unit 2 while Dutton was in the shipyard (in dry dock) at Wallsend England. We stayed in a hotel at Whitley Bay until the ship was out of dry dock. A couple of my navy shipmates ended up marring local girls. We surveyed mostly in the north Atlantic and visited ports in England, Spain and Portugal. I left when Sutton went into Norfolk for the next ship yard. It was a very interesting tour of duty but since I had a wife and kids back home the separation was a strain.

On Bowditch in Malta Yard 1967 to 1968 in NJ. Thanks for updating and keeping this site going

thanks for keeping the site alive

Thank you for sending the invite. My tour on the Bowditch was awesome. wonderful experience and memories. I miss the Canary Islands the most.

Hi Folks, 13 June 2020

Thanks John for saving the site. Will get back with an update.

Christine