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Thomas William Chandler is a fictional character and the
protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
of the cable network TNT post-apocalyptic drama TV series '' The Last Ship''. He is portrayed by Eric Dane.


Background

The son of United States Army veteran Jed Chandler ( Bill Smitrovich), Tom Chandler was born on December 9 and raised in Virginia along with a brother and a sister. As a young man, Tom joined the United States Navy to spite his father, an army officer. At an unknown point in time, he married a woman named Darien ( Tracy Middendorf). They have a daughter, Ashley (Grace Kaufman), and a son, Sam (Aidan Sussman), and reside in
Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...
, where his ship is homeported. He speaks and reads fluent Russian, and has a book written by Admiral Konstantin Nikolajewitsch Ruskov (
Ravil Isyanov Ravil Akhmedullovich Isyanov (russian: Равиль Ахмедуллович Исьянов; 20 August 1962 – 29 September 2021) was a Russian actor who appeared in over 70 film and television roles, primarily in the United States. He was most ...
) in his personal collection.


Arc

Chandler's naval career began in the 1990s upon his graduation from the United States Naval Academy in
Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...
. As a lieutenant, junior grade, Chandler served on after completing a tour of duty in Iraq. The ''Pinckneys captain promoted him to full lieutenant; years later, Chandler gave his Lieutenant's bars to Lieutenant
Alisha Granderson This is an overview of the regular, recurring, and other characters of the TV series '' The Last Ship''. Overview Main characters Tom Chandler If courage had a face, it would be identical to the face of Tom Chandler. Rachel Scott Dr. Ra ...
during her promotion ceremony. By June 2013, Chandler held the rank of Commander in the United States Navy and was the Captain of the ''Arleigh Burke''-class guided missile destroyer USS ''Nathan James'' (DDG-151). That year, he and his crew took on paleomicrobiologists Dr. Rachel Scott ( Rhona Mitra) and Dr. Quincy Tophet ( Sam Spruell) as the ''Nathan James'' conducted operations at the Arctic. However, their mission, unknown to even them, was just a cover for Drs. Scott and Tophet, who were actually collecting samples of a deadly virus that has infected 80 percent of the human population while they have been at sea. The first season revolves around finding and creating a cure for the virus (called the Red Flu by those on land) while staying ahead of the RFS ''Vyerni'', a Russian Navy ''Kirov''-class battlecruiser commanded by Admiral Konstantin Ruskov, who were looking for the cure for themselves so they could become the new "owners" of the world. During a rescue operation undertaken near Jamaica, CDR Chandler and
Tex Nolan This is an overview of the regular, recurring, and other characters of the TV series '' The Last Ship''. Overview Main characters Tom Chandler If courage had a face, it would be identical to the face of Tom Chandler. Rachel Scott Dr. Ra ...
( John Pyper-Ferguson), the private security/military contractor who joined the ''Nathan James'' at
Guantanamo Bay detention camp The Guantanamo Bay detention camp ( es, Centro de detención de la bahía de Guantánamo) is a United States military prison located within Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, also referred to as Guantánamo, GTMO, and Gitmo (), on the coast of Guant ...
, were lost at sea and then taken captive by Admiral Ruskov. The two of them were rescued by the ''Nathan James'', and upon their escape, detonated a set of explosives left by the boarding party that ultimately sunk the ''Vyerni'' with all hands (save for Niels Sørensen (
Ebon Moss-Bachrach Ebon Moss-Bachrach (born March 19, 1977) is an American actor best known for playing the role of David Lieberman in ''The Punisher'' and Desi Harperin in ''Girls''. Since 2022, Moss-Bachrach has played Richard "Richie" Jerimovich in the drama s ...
), a Norwegian scientist held prisoner by Ruskov). With the Russians defeated and a cure synthesized, the ''Nathan James'' makes port in
Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...
, where they meet up with Amy Granderson ( Alfre Woodard), the Vice Chair of the President's Defense Policy Board and mother of one of Chandler's officers, who claims to be the leader of what's left of the United States government. As Chandler frantically searches for his family (who have traveled to Baltimore from Virginia to meet him), he learns that Granderson and her rogue Maryland State Troopers are killing the people infected with the virus and burning their bodies to power the city, intent that only the "proper" people survive to aid humanity. CDR Chandler finds his dad and his children and is able to cure them, but is too late to save his wife, who had succumbed to the virus just before he arrived. With the ''Nathan James'' under siege by Granderson's people, CDR Chandler and his few landlocked crewmembers take the fight to Granderson, teaming up with the underground resistance against Granderson led by Andrew Thorwald ( Titus Welliver), a former
Baltimore Police Department The Baltimore Police Department (BPD) is the municipal police department of the city of Baltimore, Maryland. Dating back to 1784, the BPD, consisting of 2,935 employees in 2020, is organized into nine districts covering of land and of waterway ...
officer. Together, they were able to stop her, but Thorwald was killed in the attempt, and Granderson chose to commit suicide rather than be arrested by Chandler. After liberating Baltimore, the ship returns home to Norfolk, where they cure the town and reunite with several teams of Navy pilots and
SEALs Seals may refer to: * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impress an emblem, used as a means of a ...
and scattered remnants of other branches of the U.S. Armed Forces and civilian medical and scientific experts. Although CDR Chandler planned to retire in order to take care of his family, his father convinced him that his place was on the ''Nathan James''. CDR Chandler and the ''Nathan Jamess next opponents are a group of natural Immunes led by former Royal Navy Lieutenant Commander Sean Ramsey (
Brían F. O'Byrne Brían Francis O'Byrne (born 16 May 1967) is an Irish actor who works and lives in the United States. He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for his role in the miniseries ''Mildred Pierce'' (2011) and won a BAFTA TV Award for his role in ...
), who have taken command of the HMS ''Achilles''. The Immunes have also brainwashed the United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Jeffrey Michener ( Mark Moses), who is the sole surviving member of the Cabinet of the United States and Presidential Line of Succession. After the defeat of the Immunes and the successful creation of the "contagious cure" by Dr. Scott, the ''Nathan James'' is put into drydock in St. Louis, Missouri, where Michener is sworn in as President of the United States by a surviving judge on December 23, 2013. One of Michener's first inaugural acts as president is to promote CDR Chandler to the position of
Chief of Naval Operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the professional head of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the secretary of the Navy. In a separate capacity as a memb ...
. As Chief of Naval Operations, Chandler holds the rank of
Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
, having turned down a promotion to
Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...
, saying that " aptainsuits him better"; it was also mentioned that as there was no current United States Secretary of Defense, CAPT Chandler serves as President Michener's ''de facto'' military commander. He retook command of the ''Nathan James'' in "Shanzhai" after the capture of CAPT Mike Slattery and six members of his crew and names LT Granderson acting Executive Officer over LT Cameron Burk, a senior lieutenant who held the conn while CAPT Slattery was off-ship. Upon the rescue of the prisoners of war in "Dog Day", CAPT Chandler returns command of the ship to CAPT Slattery. Upon completing his mission to prevent
Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...
Allison Shaw ( Elisabeth Röhm) and the regional leaders from dissolving the United States, CAPT Chandler, haunted by the loss of his crew since the outbreak of the virus, Rachel, his wife, President Michener, his father (who was killed when Shaw kidnapped his children), and Tex (who gave his life in the final showdown with Shaw), resigned his commission. 16 months after leaving the Navy, Tom and his family had relocated to Greece, where he worked as a fisherman. There, he crossed paths with Giorgio Vellek ( Jackson Rathbone), a Greek-American crime lord, his sister Lucia (
Sibylla Deen Sibylla Deen is an Australian actress. She is known for her portrayals of Nusrat Al Fayeed in the American television series ''Tyrant'', Queen Ankhesenamun in the miniseries '' Tut'' and Blair in the Netflix miniseries, ''The I-Land''. Life a ...
) (whom he romances for information) and eventually reunites with the crew of the ''Nathan James''. Tom decided to rejoin the Navy and help resolve the Red Rust crisis. By the episode "Casus Belli", Tom had been promoted to
Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...
and was teaching at the Naval Academy instead of serving on active duty. As an admiral in the United States Navy, Chandler carries a Beretta M9 in 9×19mm as his personal sidearm; he also frequently uses the M4A1 carbine in 5.56×45mm. Over the course of the series, ADM Chandler has killed numerous times in the line of duty.


Awards and decorations

The following are the medals and service awards fictionally worn by ADM Chandler.


''The Last Ship'' (novel)

Chandler is loosely based on the captain, "Thomas" (whose full name is never revealed), of the United States Navy guided missile destroyer USS ''Nathan James'' (DDG-80) in the 1988 post-apocalyptic fiction novel, ''The Last Ship'', written by
William Brinkley William Clark Brinkley (September 10, 1917 – November 22, 1993) was an American writer and journalist, best known for his novels '' Don't Go Near the Water'' (1956), which Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer adapted to an eponymous 1957 film, and '' The La ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chandler, Tom Fictional admirals Fictional characters from Virginia Television characters introduced in 2014 Fictional commanders Fictional Iraq War veterans Fictional military captains Fictional sea captains Fictional United States Navy personnel The Last Ship (TV series)