Captain Roger Chamberlain

Born 1956 in Barry, South Wales Married to Carol in 1982 Has 2 children, Gareth 21 and Carys 18 Presently lives in Fordhouses, Wolverhampton since March 1980.

Left school 1971
First employment was ashore: Chain Boy 1971-72
When he left school he worked for Tarmac Construction as a Chain Boy. Reporting to the Site Civil Engineer and his duties were to hold and maintain his/her staff and carry their theodolites, tripods and levels. The aim was to eventually find a college place to train for Civil Engineer, but obviously the call of the sea and ships eventually overcome this desire.

Sea-going career

He started as a galley boy, peeling spuds and washing smelly saucepans with a bully of a cook, and thought it was the pits of hell. Seasickness and cooking odours made him try the role of Pantry Boy which gave him training in Silver Service and Stewardship under the watchful eye of the 2nd Steward.

Not at all happy with this life he applied to jump departments and sailed as Deck Boy on the RRS Shackleton and worked his way up to the heady heights of Junior and Senior Ordinary Seaman (Apprentice Seaman). This was his first encounter with the Antarctic and the associated sights and sounds that can hook you in and remain indelible for the rest of one’s life. This was where it became apparent that the life aboard research ships was the one he wanted to remain and develop in.

As time went on he educated himself with the help of the Marine Society’s ‘College of the Sea’ as he climbed the rating ranks of EDH (Efficient Deck Hand)), AB (Able Seaman) and Boatswain’s Mate. Many people had a hand in this education, including Deck and Engineer Officers and Scientists. The Deck Officers were good at Geometry, the Engineer Officers at Physics and the Scientists at algebra – a veritable mine of teachers and helpers. By the turn of 1979, he was ready to enter college and sit for his 2nd Navigation Officers Certificate. In May 1980, he was the proud owner of a 2nd Officers License and was officially a ships officer – a long way from that sickly galley boy only 8 years earlier.

NERC employed him as 3rd Officer in August 1980 and he went on to serve with many good seafarers and scientists along the way, including many of the present scientists on this Cruise. In 1986 he was given his first taste at 2nd Officer and was part of the RRS Charles Darwin’s Round the World voyage (1986-89), this was where his Murder game was first played and mentioned in Frank Verdon’s book ‘The Long Way Round’ which records that particular series of Voyages.

Then in 1993, Substantive promotion to Chief Officer with the associated temporary promotions to Master (Captain) was a fruition of dreams that were held by an unhappy lad peeling spuds on the SAME ship. In 2003, Roger was at last promoted to Substantive Master and has come to the conclusion that he has been a very lucky chap to have been associated with Oceanographic Research and the many people and places that have been (and still are) part of it, including THIS one - Discovery Cruise 300 with Professor George Wolff at the forefront of the expedition.