C. Neil Ammerman; Retired Navy Captain

Capt. C. Neil Ammerman, a retired Navy officer, died Thursday at his Camarillo home. He was 67.

Born on April 3, 1932, in Greensburg, Pa., Ammerman attended school there.

In 1949, he enlisted in the naval reserve program and a year later qualified for admission into the U.S. Naval Academy. He graduated with honors in 1954.

For the next two years, Ammerman served as an ensign aboard the destroyer McCaffery in the gunnery and engineering departments and then served as the executive officer of the portage.

In 1957, he was the commanding officer of the Ely, and his ship was one of the first to pass through the new St. Lawrence Seaway.

He was assigned to the National Security Agency in 1958 for duty in the area of technical intelligence.

After receiving a master’s degree in 1961 from the University of Maryland, Ammerman became the missile fire control and Talo missile officer on the Oklahoma City. The ship was in the Gulf of Tonkin during the initial naval action in August 1964.

Ammerman completed work in the field of nuclear weapons effects in 1967 at the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory in Livermore and received the Joint Services Commendation medal.

In October 1967, he became the executive officer of the Standley.

From November 1968 until June of 1971, Ammerman was the assistant to the deputy director of research and technology. For outstanding management of research and development programs, he received the Legion of Merit medal.

In September 1971, he assumed command of the John S. McCain. He received a Bronze Star with a combat “V” for his actions off the coast of Vietnam between April and October 1972.

Ammerman had been a professor of naval science and commanding officer for the NROTC at UCLA.

In April 1976, he reported aboard the England until 1978 when he moved to Newport, R.I., to command the Navy’s prestigious Surface Warfare Officers School. After that he became the chief of staff of battle force, seventh fleet, whose home port was Subic Bay in the Philippines.

He retired from the Navy in June 1984 and moved to Ventura County but continued in a civilian capacity working for naval contractors in this area until 1995.

Ammerman is survived by his wife of 20 years, Pamela Karolyn; daughters Lisa Henderson of England, Wendy Corder of Corona; sons Dirk of Fort Bragg, Craig of Oxnard, Brian of Florida, Kim Peter Haas of Corona; brother John of Pennsylvania; and four grandchildren.

His funeral was held Monday at the U.S. Naval Construction Battalion Base chapel. Interment will be at Arlington Cemetery in Virginia.

Donations can be made in his memory to the Navy League, 2300 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Va., 22201; or the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Assn., 247 King George St., Annapolis, Md., 21402.

Arrangements were under the direction of Pierce Bros. Griffin Mortuary in Camarillo.