Naval command for a ship full of scientists

Command required more than seamanship. George Nares, his successor Frank Tourle Thomson, and Commander John Maclear came from the Royal Navy's hydrographic and surveying world. Such officers were accustomed to methodical observations and to operating close to coasts in hazardous conditions. They also needed the interpersonal skill to keep an exacting five-year voyage functioning while scientists and a naval crew pursued different professional priorities.