Theodore Edson Chandler, born at Annapolis, Md., in 1894 on the day after Christmas, entered the Naval Academy in July 1911. He graduated on 5 June 1915 and received orders to report for duty in Florida (Battleship No. 30). Ens. Chandler next served briefly on board New Hampshire (Battleship No. 25) beginning training in the use of torpedoes at the end of April 1917. On 2 August, he completed that assignment and, four days later, joined the precommissioning complement of Conner (Destroyer No. 72), then being fitted out at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. In May 1918, Lt. (jg.) Chandler sailed in Conner to Brest, France, his destroyer's base during the last six months of World War I. After the Armistice, his service in European waters included a brief term as the temporary commanding officer of Conner. Chandler returned home in April and, in the following month, reported to the shipyard of the William Cramp & Sons Shipbuilding Co. to help outfit Chandler (Destroyer No. 206), named in honor of his late grandfather, former Secretary of the Navy William E. Chandler. After her commissioning in September, he served in that ship until December 1920 when he was detached to return to the United States.
On 2 January 1921, he reported for duty at the Naval Post Graduate School at Annapolis, Md., and began a 29-month series of ordnance-related studies. On 1 June 1923, he completed training duty and, after a brief leave of absence, reported to Newport News, Va., on 4 July for duty in conjunction with the outfitting of West Virginia (BB-48). The battleship went into commission on 1 December, and Chandler served in her until 16 January 1925 when he transferred to Colorado (BB-45). In June 1926, newly-promoted Lt. Comdr. Chandler came ashore once more for a two-year assignment at the Naval Mine Depot, Yorktown, Va. A nine-month tour of duty as gunnery officer in Trenton (CL-11) followed. He reported on board General Alava (AG-5) on 24 April 1929 but was detached only two days later to assume command of Pope (DD-225). In October 1930, he began another series of shore assignments, reporting initially to the Bureau of Ordnance and then to the Army Industrial College before rounding out duty ashore with a brief tour in the office of the Chief of Naval Operations.
On 30 May 1932, Chandler resumed sea duty as gunnery officer on the staff of the Commander, Destroyers, Battle Force. On 2 February 1934, he assumed command of Buchanan (DD-131). Between August 1935 and June 1938, he served three successive tours as assistant naval attache: first at Paris, then at Madrid, and finally at Lisbon. He arrived in Camden, N.J., in June 1938 to help fit out Nashville (CL-43); and he served as her executive officer until July 1940. Next, he returned to Washington for a 15-month assignment in the office of the Chief of Naval Operations. Near the end of that tour of duty, he was promoted to captain on 18 July 1941.
Chandler relieved Capt. P. P. Powell as commanding officer of Omaha (CL-4) on 15 October. Shortly over three weeks later, an event occurred that highlighted Chandler's tour in command of the light cruiser. On the morning of 6 November, Omaha, in company with Somers (DD-381), came across a darkened ship that acted suspiciously when challenged. That ship, although bearing the name Willmoto and purportedly operating out of Philadelphia, proved to be the German blockade runner Odenwald, bound for Germany with 3,857 metric tons of raw rubber in her holds. Scuttled by her crew, the German ship began to sink; but Capt. Chandler sent a party on the German vessel that controlled the flooding and salvaged the ship. It proved to be the last time that American sailors received "prize money."
For most of the next 18 months, Omaha cruised the waters of the South Atlantic in search of German blockade runners and submarines. That tour of duty ended in April 1943, when Chandler was selected to command United States naval forces in the Aruba Curacao area.
On 3 May, he was promoted to rear admiral. In July 1944, Rear Admiral Chandler took command of Cruiser Division (CruDiv) 2, Atlantic Fleet. In that capacity, he participated in Operation "Dragoon," the invasion of southern France executed in mid-August, and commanded the "Sitka-Romeo" force which captured the lies d'Hyeres just off the coast of Provence. Shortly thereafter, Rear Admiral Chandler was given command of Battleship Division (BatDiv) 2 of the Pacific Fleet. He reported for duty on 2 October in time to command his ships (part of Oldendorf's bombardment group) during the Leyte invasion and helped to repulse the Japanese southern attack group (Nishimura's Force "C" and Shima's 2d Striking Force) in the Surigao Strait phase of the Battle for Leyte Gulf.
On 8 December, Rear Admiral Chandler was shifted to command of CruDiv 4 and flew his flag above Louisville (CA-28). During the voyage from Leyte to Lingayen for the invasion of Luzon, Chandler's cruisers came under heavy Japanese air attacks, mostly by kamikazes. Late in the afternoon of 5 January 1945, a group of 16 suicide planes swooped in on the force then about 100 miles from Manila Bay. One of the four successful kamikazes crashed into Rear Admiral Chandler's flagship at her number 2 turret, but she continued in her mission. The next day, however, the cruiser suffered more severely during a repeat performance. At 1730, another suicide plane plunged into the cruiser's starboard side at the bridge. His explosives wreaked havoc with the flag bridge where Rear Admiral Chandler stood. Horribly burned by gasoline flames, the flag officer responded to the occasion like a true sailor. He manhandled fire hoses alongside enlisted men to stop the flames and then waited his turn for first aid with those same ratings. The admiral, his lungs scorched very severely, was beyond help. He died the next day in spite of the Herculean efforts of the medical department.
Photo courtesy US Naval Academy.