CAPTAIN HOWARD

Captain Howard was the captain of the S.S. Victoria, a cruise ship carrying about 1100 passengers. During a cruise in the North Pacific Ocean, the Victoria received an anonymous phone call alerting the captain to the presence of a bomb on board. Captain Howard went to investigate in the weather fax compartment, but the bomb exploded and Captain Howard was killed.

Following Howard's death, First Officer Carole Tanner was promoted to acting captain, and she and Second Officer Atkins maintained control of the ship throughout the crisis. Pete Thornton assembled a team of experts including MacGyver, Charlie Robinson, who had partnered with MacGyver on a bomb diffusing team during their service in Vietnam, and Mike Donahue, another bomb expert and Vietnam veteran who was tasked with researching the style of the bomb triggers to identify the bomber, who called himself Viking. MacGyver and Charlie flew to the Victoria's location and maintained contact with Pete and Donahue in Los Angeles.

Three identical bombs were discovered on the ship, and Charlie was killed when he inadvertently triggered one of the devices. Carole Tanner took his place and worked in tandem with MacGyver to disarm the other two bombs, but as they worked to diffuse each trigger, MacGyver realized that Donahue himself was the most likely suspect. Donahue's identity as Viking was confirmed, and he was arrested on several charges, including the death of Captain Howard.

Portrayed by: Burke Byrnes

Cross Reference: Officer Atkins, Mike Donahue, Charlie Robinson, Carole Tanner, Victoria, Viking

Episode Reference: Countdown