In order to correlate some basic measurements of radiation attenuation made on an aircraft carrier to other situations and geometries, experiments were carried out to study the effects of source distance on the dose distribution inside a model-sized compartmented structure intended to simulate the carrier. Data are presented in the form of buildup factors (B[r) as functions of source-to-detector distance for two configurations of the compartmented structure. Buildup factors are also presented as functions of the slant path through the interposing steel plates for the case where the source is considered far from the structure. Comparisons of B[r within our complex structure with single-slab values are also included. In every case, the buildup factor for the compartmented structure was found to be consistently and significantly lower than the single-slab data. The greatest difference in buildup (B[r-1) amounted to 30 percent.