Lets go back to the start. The "PCO" patrol was unique to the submarine force during the early days of WWII. It did not exist in pre-war peacetime or after the war's end and was not even frequently needed after 1942. It was an expedient used to get someone coming out of one boat "up to speed" and ready to take command of a new (to them) boat, without the cumbersome peacetime process of going back to New London for PCO School. For the most part, it seems to have been used primarily to get timid and unsuccessful CO's replaced by aggressive and potentially successful men who were otherwise fully qualified and immediately available.
During the war, the "normal" process was to take a good XO and send him back to the States to take command of new construction. Complete involvement in building, fitting-out and undergoing Trials of the new boat was certainly more than the equivalent of PCO School and a PCO patrol combined. But the prerequisite was still good performance as an XO.
As for an XO tour being considered as a "PCO" cruise...it doesn't matter what either you or I think. The Navy considers an XO tour to be the final preparation for Command. An XO tour therefore certainly was a "PCO cruise"...but it also wasn't. That's because there was no such thing as a "PCO" cruise to begin with, until it had to be invented to satisfy the unique circumstances as mentioned above.
In the peacetime Navy (then and all during my career), you became Qualified for Command through a specific process. You must successfully complete tours as a Division Officer and a Department Head. During the former you must get Qualified in Submarines. During the latter, you will take a written exam (several, actually) and a rigorous oral exam by a Board of not less than three post-Command Captains (I served on a couple such Boards). The oral examining Board must provide a unanimous recommendation for Command Qualification. Only then will you go to an XO tour. The XO tour is absolutely the final preparation for becoming a Commanding Officer. If you are successful and receive excellent Fitness Reports as an XO, you will be considered by another Selection Board for Command...if not, you won't. I also served on a Selection Board.
Both Chapple and Coe went through the peacetime process and were fully qualified to move up from "S" boat to command a PERCH or SALMON Class boat without further ado. Making that change was entirely at CAPT Wilkes' discretion. Whether that could be done for others or they needed to go through a PCO patrol was up to the cognizant Squadron Commander.
I'm not sure where I got those particular bio's; I have old Xeroxed copies of about two dozen WWII sub commanders' bio/service records that I collected between my Midshipman days, SubSchool and PCO/PXO Schools.
The Naval History Center (Naval History and Heritage Command or something like that now?) has hundreds of biographies. Service records are also available from the National Archives, but not all of them can be released to the public. I think the rule is that the person must have given their consent or been deceased for 60 years or something like that. There are also bio's at a couple of submarine veteran and historical groups...Coe's wife (or daughter?) also wrote a book IIRC.
Moon Chapple...I met him in the early 70's when I was a wet-behind-the-ears Ensign and he was a guest of honor at a Change of Command Reception at the Point Loma O'Club...or maybe it was the North Island O'Club....memory is not so good anymore. Spoke to him a couple more times on similar occasions...he was quite a well-known "character" in Coronado...not one to reminisce about the war though.
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