 Their commanding officer was an eccentric naval officer called Geoffrey Spicer-Simson who was known for being the oldest Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Navy, a man court-martialled for wrecking his own ships and a complete liar.He was given command of two small gunboats, which he named "Mimi" and "Toutou" (childish onomatopoeia for "Cat" and "Dog" in French).After a monthlong journey to South Africa via the Atlantic Ocean, the boats and expedition travelled by train to the Congo.