Commander Compton-Hall joined the Royal Navy in 1943, at the age of 13, as a cadet, becoming a midshipman in HMS London. His first submarine duty was in the Sirdar in 1949, followed by assignments in the Tabard and Ambush. From 1958 to 1960, he was on exchange with the U. S. Navy’s Submarine Development Group Two, New London, Connecticut. His three submarine commands were the X-Craft Minnow (1956-57), Springer (1957-58), and Grampus (1961-64). He also commanded the frigate Ashanti before retiring in 1968. He is currently director of the Royal Navy Submarine Museum, HMS Dolphin, at Gosport, Hampshire. His books on submarines include Submarine Warfare— Monsters and Midgets (Blandford Press and Sterling Publishing Co., 1985), which tells the full story of the K and M boats.
