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Captain C.A. (Pete) Tzomes became the first African-American Commanding Officer of a nuclear powered submarine.

A 1967 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, he made his mark on U.S. history in May, 1983 as the Commanding Officer of the USS Houston (SSN-713) in the United States Navy under the rank of Captain. He is one of the original black graduates from the Naval Academy. He is one of the first blacks involved in the involved in the nuclear power industry, and is considered a contemporary pioneer in Black History, and is acknowledged during Black History Month. In the U.S. military, he was highly decorated for his accomplishments during the Cold War. In 1986 he was assigned as the Force Operations Officer on the staff of Commander Submarine Forces U.S. Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and oversaw the operations of all submarines in the Pacific. In 1988, he was appointed as the Director of the Equal Services Division in the Bureau of Naval Personnel and as the adviser to the Chief of Naval Personnel on equal opportunity issues. He became the Commanding Officer of the Naval Station Great Lakes, and served as Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations and Inspector General before he retired from the U.S. Navy in 1994.

History
C. A. “Pete” Tzomes (retired) was born on December 30, 1944 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He was the oldest of two children parented by James C. Tzomes and Charlotte Eudora (Hill) Tzomes, who instilled in him the value of hard work and discipline at an early age. He decided to pursue a career in the U.S. Navy during junior high school following a recruiting visit by a Naval Academy Midshipman.

In 1963, Tzomes was admitted to the U.S. Naval Academy after briefly attending the State University of New York at Oneonta. He graduated in 1967 and was commissioned as the rank of Ensign. Upon graduation, Tzomes completed submarine nuclear power training followed by submarine training (at ???). He was only the second African American accepted into the Navy’s prestigious Nuclear Propulsion Program, and the first for submarines.

He was then assigned to the ballistic missile submarine USS WILL ROGERS in 1969, and served in various division officer billets before being transferred to the fast attack submarine USS PINTADO. After completing Engineer Officer qualification in 1973, Tzomes was assigned as Engineer Officer on board the USS DRUM; and served as Executive Officer (XO) on board the USS CAVALLA from 1979 to 1982. In 1983, he became the first African American to command a U.S. submarine when he was assigned as the Commanding Officer (CO) of the USS HOUSTON (SSN-713). At the conclusion of his command tour in 1986, he was assigned as the Force Operations Officer on the staff of Commander Submarine Forces U.S. Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and oversaw the operations of all submarines in the Pacific theater. In 1988, he was appointed as the Director of the Equal Opportunity Division in the Bureau of Naval Personnel out of the Pentagon, and as the advisor to the Chief of Naval Personnel on equal opportunity issues; and, in 1990, he became Commanding Officer of the Great Lakes Naval Base. He then served as Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations and Inspector General before he retired from the U.S. Navy in 1994.

Tzomes was an active member of the National Naval Officers Association (NNOA), including two years as a regional Vice President, while on active duty. The NNOA is a professional organization that targets professionalism and development of sea service minority officers (Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard). After his retirement, Tzomes worked as a Utility Manager at Exelon Corporation until July 2012. He held various leadership positions while primarily assigned to the Quad Cities Generating Station located in western Illinois. He continued to keep abreast of Navy issues through his affiliation with the Naval Submarine League, the U.S. Naval Institute, the United States Submarine Veterans and the Navy League.

There have been 7 successors

Tzomes married the former Carolyn Eason in July, 2007. Offspring from a previous marriage include a son, Chancellor A. Tzomes II, and a granddaughter, Mariana Tzomes.

Education

 * Bachelors of Science in Mathematics, United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland. Minor in Russian language.
 * State University of New York, Oneonta.

Awards
His military honors and decorations include: as well as various unit and campaign ribbons.
 * The Legion of Merit (with two Gold Stars)
 * The Meritorious Service Medal (with three Gold Stars)
 * The Navy Commendation Medal (with 2wo Gold Stars)