page_title: HMS Challenger (1826)
section_title: Fate
hierarchical_section_title: HMS Challenger (1826) / Fate
caption_attribution_description: English: The wreck of HMS Challenger on the coast of Chile in 1835, along with a camp built by the ship's crew.
context_page_description: HMS Challenger was a 28-gun sixth rate of the Royal Navy launched at Portsmouth, England on 14 November 1826.
context_section_description: 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. 
  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. Challenger's captain and crew were returned to England from Coquimbo on 22 July by HMS Conway.
caption: The wreck of HMS Challenger, with the encampment built by the crew
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