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Obituary (CT): Ralph Edward Chidley '54

Posted on 11/12/2019

Ralph E. Chidley  (July 17, 1931--October 22, 2019)

Ralph E. Chidley, of Stonington, died Tuesday, October 22, 2019, of complications from pneumonia. Ralph was born in 1931, in Cleveland, Ohio, to Joseph and Florence (Fairfield) Chidley. In 1949 he graduated from Euclid Shore High School where he was a standout athlete in football, wrestling, and track. After one year of NROTC at Ohio State University, he was accepted at the U.S. Naval Academy. Ralph graduated from Annapolis in 1954 and became one of the early personal selections of Adm Rickover to be part of the "Nuclear Navy."  While stationed at the Groton/New London Submarine base, Ralph went on to command two nuclear submarines, the Ethan Allen and the Henry L. Stimpson. He was promoted to Captain in 1975 and stationed outside of Washington DC to take part in the development of the Ohio class "Trident" submarines.  As one of the leaders of that project, Ralph was the principal designer of that ship's control room and he led the development of the initial training programs for its crews. After retirement from the Navy, Ralph cofounded the Interlock Group, which specialized in developing training programs for complex industrial control systems and machinery. Ralph is survived by his son, Brian and his wife, Pam; and his three grandchildren, Nell, Simon, and Ben, all of Mystic. Ralph was predeceased by his wife, Margaret in 2018, his brother Joseph, in 2014, and a son, Derek, in 1988. A memorial service followed by military honors will be held for Ralph at the Gales Ferry United Methodist Church at 10:00 am on Saturday, November 30th. There are no calling hours.

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