Skipper (USS Hickory — commanding officer, S01E07)

The Skipper (USS Hickory) serves as the small cutter's commanding officer and the operational anchor for a crew fighting catastrophic conditions. As the officer responsible for damage control, seamanship, and crew survival, they embody frontline authority when broader command structures fall silent. Their expected arrival aboard and assumed decisiveness structure Harold's report and shape the President's intimate intervention; the Skipper translates strategic failure into immediate, life‑oriented orders and steadies a frightened crew through pragmatic command and moral responsibility.