Rear Admiral Richard M. Larrabee overseas the Coast Guard missions of search and rescue, law enforcement, commercial vessel certification and safety, and marine pollution response from Eastport, Maine to just south of the Shrewsbury River in New Jersey. He is also Commander, U.S. Navy Maritime Defense Command One, with responibility for the security of all First District ports and harbors, and the corresponding coastline out to 200 miles. He also services as the Department of Transportation Regional Emergency Transportation Coordination for Regions 1 and 2.
Rear Admiral Larrabee comes to the First Coast Guard District after serving as Director of Reserve and Training at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C. A 1967 graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, his initial assignment was as Operations Officer on board the high-endurance cutter Casco, based in Boston.
In 1969, Rear Admiral Larrabee served as Commanding Officer on board the cutter Cape Hatteras in Santa Barbara, Calif. During the next two years he was assigned as aide to the Eleventh District Commander and as the District Public Affairs Officer in Long Beach, Calif. After completing a two-year masters degree program in Ocean Engineering at the University of Rhode Island, he was assigned to the Office of Research and Development at Coast Guard Headquarters at which time he became involved with the development of oil and hazardous chemical spill response equipment.
In 1978, Rear Admiral Larrabee was transferred to Marine Safety Office, Hampton Roads, in Norfolk, Va. From 1983 to 1986, he served as Commanding Officer of Marine Safety Office Detroit, Mich. Returning to Coast Guard Headquarters in 1986, Rear Admiral Larrabee served as Assistant Chief Port Safety and Security Division. Remaining at Coast Guard Headquarters, Rear Admiral Larrabee next assumed the duties of Chief of the Marine Environment Response Division for two years. In this capacity he also served as Vice Chairman of the National Response Team. In 1990, Rear Admiral Larrabee assumed the duties of Gropu Commander and the COTP New York. From Governors Island, Rear Admiral Larrabee returned, after 26 years, to New London, Conn., where he served as Assistant Superintendent of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy for 16 months. Rear Admiral Larrabee's personal awards include the Distinguished Service Medals, three Legions of Merit, two Meritorious Service Medals, the Coast Guard Commendation Medal, and two Coast Guard Achievement Medals. Rear Admiral Larrabee is married to the former Pamela G. of Farmington, Conn., who is an attorney, formely with the Department of Justice. Their daugher, Jennifer, a graduate of Columbia Unversity and Brooklyn Law School, is currently practicing law in New York City.