Peter Abbott

For the footballer, see Peter Abbott (footballer).

Sir Peter Abbott
Birth name	Peter Charles Abbott
Born	(1942-02-12)12 February 1942
Died
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Years of service	1964–2001
Rank	Admiral
Commands held	Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff Commander-in-Chief Fleet HMS Ajax HMS Ambuscade HMS Chawton
Battles/wars	Falklands War
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Officer of the Legion of Merit (United States)
Other work	Commissioner of Commonwealth War Graves

Admiral Sir Peter Charles Abbott GBE, KCB, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , (12 February 1942 – 28 September 2015) was a Royal Navy officer and Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff.

Early life

Abbott was born on 12 February 1942. He was educated at Queens' College, Cambridge.

Military career

Abbott was commissioned into the Royal Navy in 1964. He commanded the minesweeper, HMS Chawton, from 1972 to 1975 and then joined the staff of the Senior Naval Officer in the West Indies.

He became commanding officer of the frigate HMS Ambuscade in 1976, second-in-command of the aircraft carrier HMS Bulwark in 1980 and the Chief of Defence Staff's briefer during the Falklands War in 1982. He then became commanding officer of the frigate HMS Ajax as well as captain of the 1st Frigate Squadron in 1983.

He became Director of Navy Plans in 1985 and, having been promoted to rear admiral, he was appointed Flag Officer Second Flotilla in 1989. He was made Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff in 1991 and, having been promoted to vice admiral, was appointed Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic in 1993. He became Commander-in-Chief Fleet and, having been promoted to admiral in 1995, he became Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff in 1997.

Later life

In retirement, Abbott was made Chairman of the Trustees of the Royal Naval Museum. He was also President of MSSC, governing charity of the Marine Society and the Sea Cadets.

He died of cancer on 28 September 2015.

Honours and decorations

	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE)	1999
	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB)	1994
	Officer of the Legion of Merit	(United States) 1995

References

Military offices
Preceded by Hugo White	Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff 1991–1993	Succeeded by John Brigstocke
Preceded by Sir Peter Woodhead	Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic 1993–1995	Succeeded by Sir Ian Garnett
Preceded by Sir Hugo White	Commander-in-Chief Fleet 1995–1997	Succeeded by Sir Michael Boyce
Preceded by Sir John Willis	Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff 1997–2001	Succeeded by Sir Anthony Bagnall
Heraldic offices
Preceded by Sir Patrick Hine	King of Arms of the Order of the British Empire 2011–2015	Succeeded by Unknown