It is with deep regret that I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral (lower half) Peter Gordon Chabot on 27 May 2024 at age 86. Rear Admiral Chabot entered the U.S. Naval Academy in June 1956 and served as a submarine officer until his retirement in August 1990 as inspector general for U.S. Atlantic Command/U.S. Atlantic Fleet. His commands included USS
Sea Devil (SSN-664); Nuclear Power Training Unit Idaho Falls, Idaho; and Submarine Squadron TEN (SUBRON 10).
Peter Chabot took the oath of office at the U.S. Naval Academy on 25 June 1956. According to the
Lucky Bag yearbook, “Little Bear,” as he was known, was described in the following way: “his intelligence, his athletic ability and his personality as well as those other qualities J. P. Jones requires of a Naval Officer immediately won him the respect of his classmates. . . . These traits, plus his infinite coffee capacity, will make him a welcome addition to the wardroom of any submarine.” On 8 June 1960, he graduated with distinction with a bachelor’s degree in naval science and was commissioned an ensign. Selected for the Navy Nuclear Power Program, he then reported to the Naval Submarine School, Groton, Connecticut. In December 1960, he reported to the Atomic Energy Commission, Schenectady Naval Reactors Office and Nuclear Power Training Unit West Milton Site, Schenectady, New York. In July 1961, he returned to the Naval Submarine School Groton for additional training.
In October 1961, Ensign Chabot was assigned to nuclear-powered radar picket submarine USS
Triton (SSRN-586) following its record-breaking submerged circumnavigation of the globe (February–April 1960). He was promoted to lieutenant (junior grade) in December 1961.
Triton was the largest and most expensive submarine ever built at that time, and the only submarine with two reactors.
Triton went into major overhaul to be converted from a radar picket submarine to an attack submarine, while also receiving numerous upgrades to serve as flagship for Commander, Submarine Forces Atlantic, with the capability to act as a survivable at-sea command ship in the event of nuclear war. In March 1964,
Triton shifted home port from New London to Norfolk, Virginia. The submarine would also rescue the pilot and passenger of a small plane that crashed off St. Croix, Virgin Islands, around this time. Chabot was promoted to lieutenant in June 1964.
In October 1965, Lieutenant Chabot was assigned to the nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine USS
Patrick Henry (SSBN-599) (gold crew) as the submarine was undergoing major overhaul and refueling at Electric Boat, including modifications to handle the Polaris A-3 ballistic missile. After relocating to Charleston, South Carolina,
Patrick Henry completed its 18th through 22nd deterrent patrols, with the 22nd ending at Holy Loch, Scotland, in February 1968. That month, Chabot reported to the staff of Commander Submarine Force, Atlantic, as force nuclear power officer. He was promoted to lieutenant commander in June 1968.
In May 1971, Lieutenant Commander Chabot assumed duty as executive officer of fast attack submarine USS
Spadefish (SSN-668). Based out of Norfolk,
Spadefish conducted multiple operations in the Atlantic and North Atlantic. Chabot was promoted to commander in November 1971. In September 1973, he commenced pre-command training at Division of Naval Reactors, Atomic Energy Commission Washington, DC, followed by Submarine Force Atlantic.
In February 1974, Commander Chabot assumed command of fast attack submarine USS
Sea Devil (SSN-664). Based in Norfolk,
Sea Devil conducted multiple operations in the far North Atlantic and under-ice operations in the Arctic. In July 1977, Commander Chabot reported as chief staff officer to Commander Submarine Refit Training Group, La Maddalena, Sardinia. In June 1979, he assumed command of Nuclear Power Training Unit, Idaho Falls. He was promoted to captain in July 1979.
In July 1981, Captain Chabot assumed command of SUBRON 10 at New London, responsible for 8–10 attack submarines and submarine tender USS
Fulton (AS-11). In August 1983, Chabot reported to Naval Sea Systems Command as program manager for MK‑48 torpedo (PMS 402).
Promoted to rear admiral (lower half) on 1 July 1987, Chabot reported that same month to the Office of Chief of Naval Operations as director of Undersea and Strategic Warfare and Nuclear Energy Development Division (OP-981). He attended the Capstone General and Flag Officer Course at National Defense University in August–September 1987. In September 1987, he assumed duty as inspector general for Commander in Chief U.S. Atlantic Command and Commander in Chief U.S. Atlantic Fleet. Rear Admiral Chabot retired on 1 August 1990.
Rear Admiral Chabot’s awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal; Legion of Merit; Meritorious Service Medal; Navy Commendation Medal (three awards); Navy Expeditionary Medal; National Defense Service Medal (two awards); and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
After retiring from active duty, Rear Admiral Chabot was employed by BG&E at Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, the Exelon Corporation at Dresden Nuclear Station, and the Exelon Regional Operating Group. He remained very active in U.S. Naval Academy affairs, serving as class president for several years, as well as volunteer skipper, coach, and instructor for the Navy’s offshore sail training squadron. He served on the Fales Committee, advising the superintendent on Naval Academy sail programs, while also serving as a sponsor for midshipmen. In addition, he was volunteer EMT, firefighter, and officer of the Solomons, Maryland, volunteer rescue squad and fire department for 10 years. He was elected to the Meriden High School Hall of Fame in Connecticut in 1990. He was an invited member of the Brotherhood of the Coast, an international seagoing and social fraternity. His funeral was held at the U.S. Naval Academy in August 2024.
Today there is a collective amnesia regarding the existential nature of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, as well as the undersea arms race between U.S. and Soviet submarines. In the 1960s, this led to risk-taking in submarine design and operations that would be unacceptable today, leading to the loss of USS
Thresher (SNN-593) and USS
Scorpion (SSN-589). But hard lessons were learned by both sides. The Soviets/Russians have lost more than 10 submarines to accidents since the
Scorpion was lost in 1968. Nevertheless, during the Cold War, U.S. and Soviet submarines operated as if they were engaged in an actual war, except for firing live weapons. Through their spy networks, such as Walker-Whitworth, the Soviets knew we had the acoustic advantage in the undersea domain and therefore developed tactics based on the assumption that a U.S. submarine would get the first shot. The Soviet sub would counterfire before being hit, and in a one-for-one exchange of submarines, they would win because they had more submarines. That was their theory, anyway. However, in the end, the Soviet submarine force could not guarantee the survivability of their sea-based nuclear deterrent force, thereby contributing to the end of the Cold War. Peter Chabot obviously thrived in this no-margin-for-error environment, in which a reactor accident or collision with a Soviet submarine could have catastrophic consequences or start an unintended war. As executive officer and commanding officer of fast attack submarines in the 1970s, his home life was constantly subjected to unpredictable no-notice departures for indeterminate lengths of time to counter Soviet submarine operations. His family is due an enduring debt of gratitude for this, and our Navy and nation owe him a great deal of thanks for his significant role in preserving the freedom of this country and in avoiding a nuclear war.
Rest in Peace, Admiral Chabot.
Note: I regret the late notification, as
Flag Matters and I only just learned of his passing (and I managed to miss it in the August 2024
Shipmate).