The History of the Challenger Expedition

In 1870, Charles Wyville Thomson (right), Professor of Natural History at Edinburgh University, persuaded the Royal Society of London to ask the British Government to furnish one of Her Majesty's ships for a prolonged voyage of exploration across the oceans of the globe. On the 7th December 1872, the expedition put to sea from Sheerness aboard the corvette H.M.S. Challenger.

The vessel was a three-masted square-rigged wooden ship of 2300 tons displacement and some 200 feet in length. She was essentially a sailing ship even though she possessed an engine of 1200 horsepower. It was planned that the ship would be under sail for most of the cruise, using the engine primarily for manoeuvring when conducting scientific observations and deploying heavy gear. All but two of the ship's 17 guns had been removed to make way for purpose-built scientific laboratories and workrooms designed specifically for biological, chemical and physical work. Storage space for all the trawls and dredges was also necessary, together with space for the anticipated sample collection.

The commanding officer was Captain George Nares (left), with approximately 20 naval officers (including surgeons and engineers) and 200 crew. There were six civilian staff and scientists under the direction of Wyville Thomson that included the naturalists John Murray and Henry N. Mosely, the chemist/physicist John Buchanan and the official artist J.J. Wild.

Between her departure in December 1872 and her return to Spithead on 24 May 1876, H.M.S. Challenger traversed 68,890 nautical miles, in the course of which she sampled in the North and South Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and travelled north of the limits of drift ice in the North Atlantic polar seas and south of the Antarctic Circle.

Wyville Thomson reported the Challenger to have made 362 sample/observation stations "at intervals as nearly uniform as possible". At each station, the following observations were made, as far as circumstances allowed:

  • The exact depth was determined.
  • A sample of the bottom averaging from 1 ounce to 1 pound in weight was recovered by means of the sounding instrument.
  • A sample of bottom water was procured for chemical/physical examination.
  • The bottom temperature was recorded by a registering thermometer.
  • At most stations, a fair sample of the bottom fauna was procured by means of the dredge or trawl.
  • At most stations, the fauna of the surface and of intermediate depths was examined by the use of tow nets variously adjusted.
  • At most stations, a series of temperature observations was made at different depths from the surface to the bottom.
  • At many stations, samples of sea-water were obtained from different depths.
  • In all cases, atmospheric and other meteorological conditions were carefully observed and noted.
  • The direction and rate of the surface current was determined.
  • At a few stations, an attempt was made to ascertain the direction and rate of movement of the water at different depths.
Back at home, the scientific findings of the cruise were examined by over 100 scientists, primarily under the guidance of John Murray, who should receive the highest praise for the work's eventual publication The Report of the Scientific Results of the Exploring Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger during the years 1873-76 occupied 50 volumes, each measuring about 13 by 10 inches and as "thick as a family Bible". They appeared between 1885 and 1895. Scientists involved with collecting and publishing the data were awarded with a specially-minted medal, the original Challenger Medal.

At its completion, The Report discussed with full detail of text and illustrations the currents, temperatures, depths and constituents of the oceans, the topography of the sea bottom, the geology and biology of its covering and the animal life of the abyssal waters. The Challenger cruise had lain the cornerstone of scientific oceanography and begun its introduction to the wider scientific and lay community. The findings of the cruise were correctly described by John Murray in 1895 as "the greatest advance in the knowledge of our planet since the celebrated discoveries of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries".

Latest News

Challenger Society Council Position Vacancy

The Challenger Society for Marine Science (CSMS) are pleased to announce an exciting opportunity to support the next generation of ocean scientists and innovators. CSMS are looking for a new Council member to fill the Student Travel Awards and Stepping Stones Portfolio. The successful applicant will administer the travel and research grants available for Early Career Researchers.

The role involves:
-          Receiving applications for the two schemes and responding to applicant inquiries
-          Soliciting and compiling input from the rest of the Council for assessing the applications
-          Communicating with successful and unsuccessful applicants for the two schemes
-          Working with the Honorary Treasurer on allocating funds to successful applicants
-          Following up with award winners on their reporting requirements
-          Attending Council meetings four times a year (in person or online) and contributing to discussions and decision making for CSMS

The usual term for Council members is three years.

For more information about the CSMS Council, please follow this link: https://www.challenger-society.org.uk/The_Council

For more information about our Early Career Researcher grants and awards, please follow this link:
https://www.challenger-society.org.uk/Stepping_Stones
and
https://www.challenger-society.org.uk/Travel_awards

If you are interested in applying or have any questions regarding the role, please contact kathen@bas.ac.uk

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NOC Association (NOCA) AGM 2025


The 14th AGM of the NOC Association will be held on Thursday 15th and Friday 16th May 2025. This free, on-line event will take place on Zoom, across two consecutive mornings, each starting at 10:00 and ending at 12:30. The agenda will focus on national capability (NC) science, ships, and autonomous vehicles, and how the community can engage. There will be an update on AtlantiS and on the new marine science scoping group. All are warmly welcome to join.

To participate, please complete your registration here.

For enquiries: Jackie Pearson, Secretary to NOCA: jfpea@noc.ac.uk

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Townhall on UK Arctic Ocean contribution to International Polar Year 32/33

 
SAVE THE DATE
12:00 11th June – 16:00 12th June 2025
NOC Southampton

The Arctic is one of the most rapidly-changing regions on our planet, with impacts on global sea-level rise, changes to our climate and weather patterns, and threats to our shared biodiversity and ecosystem services. With the international community rapidly mobilising towards the International Polar Year 32/33, and with new international programmes and initiatives now being shaped, it is timely for the UK Ocean Science community to come together and articulate what its unique offerings could be to Arctic research and technology.

This hybrid 2-day meeting, to be held at NOC Southampton, is intended to start this process. Recognising the Arctic Oceans role in global Earth and Human systems, anticipated outcomes include a high-level shaping of what the UK Arctic Ocean community would like to achieve over the course of the IPY, stimulation of new collaborations and proposals for grand Arctic challenges and a baseline from which wider integration with terrestrial, atmospheric and cryosphere communities, both in the UK and overseas, can be built.  Discussions will continue in diverse forums, including the UK Arctic Science Meeting in September and at Challenger 2026.

This action is supported by the UK Arctic Office and UK Arctic and Antarctic Partnership

Further details and meeting registration link will be circulated in April together with a questionnaire to help shape the agenda and discussion

In the meantime…SAVE THE DATE

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