Miron Babiak (January 31, 1932 in Sanok,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

– September 25, 2013 in

Gdynia Gdynia is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With an estimated population of 257,000, it is the List of cities in Poland, 12th-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in the Pomeranian Voivodeship after Gdańsk ...

, Poland) was a Polish sea captain who is best known for commanding the RV Profesor Siedlecki

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

research ship.

Early career

Miron Babiak is an alumnus of Szkoła Rybołóstwa Morskiego in

. From 1951 onwards he was a first officer on ships belonging to Dalmor. In 1959 he became a captain, then four years later gained Marine Master diploma. In 1968 he established a daily fishing record of Gen. Rachimów on the seas of

Labrador Labrador () is a geographic and cultural region within the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is the primarily continental portion of the province and constitutes 71% of the province's area but is home to only 6% of its populatio ...

, a remarkable example of his marine talent and passion.

Antarctica expedition on Profesor Siedlecki

In 1975 research vessel Profesor Siedlecki took its second cruise, commanded by captain Miron Babiak to explore the fishing grounds of the

Kerguelen Islands The Kerguelen Islands ( or ; in French commonly ' but officially ', ), also known as the Desolation Islands (' in French), are a group of islands in the subantarctic, sub-Antarctic region. They are among the Extremes on Earth#Remoteness, most i ...

. The success of this journey led to further three expeditions of Profesor Siedlecki.

Gdańszczanin Roku ("Man of the Gdańsk" prize)

In 1977 he was chosen "Gdańszczanin Roku" a prestige prize for his achievements.

References

Polish sailors 2013 deaths People from Sanok County 1932 births Gdynia Maritime University alumni {{Poland-mil-bio-stub