HMS Challenger (1826)

HMS Challenger was a 28-gun sixth rate of the Royal Navy launched at Portsmouth, England on 14 November 1826.

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Challenger.

Challenger, commanded by Captain FitzClarence, sailing from Portsmouth with dispatches for Lisbon on 31 October 1827
History
Name: HMS Challenger
Ordered:
  • 9 June 1825
  • Reordered: 27 June 1825
Builder: Portsmouth Dockyard
Laid down: November 1825
Launched: 14 November 1826
Completed: By 9 March 1827
Fate: Wrecked on 19 May 1835
General characteristics
Class and type: 28-gun sixth rate
Tons burthen: 602​91⁄94 (bm)
Length:
  • Overall:125 ft 7 1⁄2 in (38.3 m)
  • Keel:105 ft 11 1⁄2 in (32.3 m)
Beam: 32 ft 8 in (10.0 m)
Depth of hold: 9 ft 3 1⁄4 in (2.8 m)
Sail plan: Full-rigged ship
Complement: 175
Armament:
  • Gun deck: 20 × 32-pounder (14,528 g, 32.029 lb) carronades
  • QD: 6 x 18-pounder (8,172 g, 18.016 lb) carronades
  • Fc: 2 x 9-pounder (4,086 g, 9.008 lb)

Royal patronage

Challenger was commanded in 1827 by Captain FitzClarence the illegitimate son of William IV. His father was still the Duke of Clarence in 1827, the year he became Lord High Admiral.[1]

Fremantle

Under the command of Charles Fremantle, she was in part responsible for the creation of the colony of Swan River in 1829. Captain Fremantle was under orders to take possession of the western side of New Holland on behalf of the British government. Challenger arrived on 25 April 1829 off Garden Island. She attempted to sail into Cockburn Sound the next day, but due to the incompetence of the sailing master, struck a rock midway between Garden and Carnac Islands. Challenger was not seriously damaged.[2]

Fate
The wreck of HMS Challenger, with the encampment built by the crew

Challenger was wrecked off Mocha Island, Chile on 19 May 1835, with the loss of two lives. HMS Blonde rescued the survivors on 15 June.[3]

Challenger was under the command of Captain Michael Seymour. She sailed from Rio de Janeiro on 1 April, bound for Talcahuano. She was sailing off the coast of Chile when she struck on rocks in the late evening of 19 May. Overcast skies had prevented her from taking sightings since 17 May. The crew cut away her mizzen mast and the waves carried her over the rocks into calmer water. Pumping kept the water coming in from sinking her, but it was clear that she was lost. The morning revealed that she was low, a flat beach nearby. Over the next few days the crew used boats and rafts to evacuate Challenger, though some crew members died when their boats overturned in the surf. The crew were also able to salvage a considerable amount of her stores and to establish a camp. Local ranchers arrived and rendered assistance. The survivors abandoned their camp on 8 June and established a new camp at the mouth of the Lebu River, about 16 kilometres (10 mi) north. From there parties went overland to Concepción, Chile, about 64 kilometres (40 mi) away (as the crow flies). Blonde arrived on 5 July. Investigation revealed that a powerful current had pushed Challenger onshore at Molfguilla.[4] Challenger's captain and crew were returned to England from Coquimbo on 22 July by HMS Conway.[5]

Citations
  2. Henderson 1980, pp. 77–78.
  3. "Loss of His Majesty's Frigate Challenger". The Morning Post (20236). 16 October 1835.
  4. Hepper 1994, p. 162.

References

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