Yesterday I sat down with the captain of Nautilus to learn more about him and his job.  Pavel was born in Russia and always seemed to have a sense of wonder about the ocean.  From the age of 9, he knew he wanted to be a seaman and actually hadn’t considered being the captain of a ship.  

When the time came, Pavel was off to college at the Maritime Academy in St. Petersburg to become the seaman he had dreamed about being.  Many of you may be surprised to hear that Pavel had six years of college to become a seaman.  During his course of studies, he was expected to know everything about the boats on which he might work, mapping, the engine, and differences between how vessels are handled.  Of course, you don’t start off as a captain.  It took many years of working and learning on the job for him to work up the ladder toward being the captain.   Pavel became very serious when asked about his responsibilities. To him, the entire ship is his responsibility, from making certain the crew keeps the ship clean, to the engine, to the needs of the people onboard. On Nautilus, he is also responsible for making certain the ship is in the correct position to launch the ROVs. Most important to him are the safety and security of the passengers.  And as for his crew…he works to create a team, know all of the people and understand their differences so they can all move forward together.  

Asked how Nautilus is different from other ships he has captained, he said that though it is an older ship (built in 1967), he is amazed at the technology onboard and the work of the science team.  He sees the professionalism of all and the common goals that help guide them.  The amount of unique equipment needed to fulfill the Nautilus mission is very different from other research vessels on which he has worked.