HMS Beagle Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids History
HMS Beagle in the Straits of Magellan at Monte Sarmiento, reproduction of R. T. Pritchett's frontispiece from the 1890 illustrated edition of The Voyage of the Beagle.
United Kingdom
Ordered	16 February 1817
Cost	£7,803
Laid down	June 1818
Launched	11 May 1820
Commissioned	1820
Decommissioned	1845, transferred to Coastguard
Fate	Sold and broken up 1870
General characteristics
Class and type	Cherokee-class brig-sloop
Tons burthen	235 bm; 242 for second voyage
Length	90.3 ft (27.5 m)
Beam	24.5 ft (7.5 m)
Draught	12.5 ft (3.8 m)
Sail plan	Brig (barque from 1825)
Complement	120 as a ship-of-war, 65 plus 9 supernumeraries on second voyage
Armament	10 guns, reduced to 6 guns for first survey voyage, changed to 7 guns during second survey voyage

HMS Beagle was a famous ship of the Royal Navy, the navy of the United Kingdom. It was a type of ship called a Cherokee-class brig-sloop. The Beagle was built and launched on May 11, 1820, from the Woolwich Dockyard near the River Thames in England. This ship is most famous for its second voyage, which carried the well-known scientist Charles Darwin.

First Journey: Mapping South America (1826–1830)
Second Journey: Darwin's Great Adventure (1831–1836)
- Darwin's Famous Book
Third Journey: Exploring Australia (1837–1843)
- Naming Places in Australia
Images for kids
See also

First Journey: Mapping South America (1826–1830)

On May 22, 1826, the Beagle began its first important journey. Its mission was to map the coastlines and waters of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego in South America. These maps were very important for other ships to navigate safely.

During this trip, the crew discovered a body of water that they named the Beagle Channel, after their ship. Sadly, the first captain, Pringle Stokes, died during the voyage. Robert FitzRoy then became the new captain. The Beagle returned to England on October 14, 1830, after completing its mission.

Second Journey: Darwin's Great Adventure (1831–1836)

Beagle being greeted by native Fuegians during the survey of Tierra del Fuego, painted by Conrad Martens. He became the ship's artist in 1833.

The Beagle started its second and most famous journey on December 27, 1831. Captain FitzRoy wanted someone to join him on the voyage for company and to study nature. He found a young scientist named Charles Darwin.

On this long trip, the crew continued to map parts of South America. Darwin spent his time exploring the land, collecting plants and animals, and observing the natural world. His observations during this voyage helped him develop his famous ideas about evolution.

The Beagle finally returned to Falmouth, Cornwall, England, on October 2, 1836.

Darwin's Famous Book

Charles Darwin kept a detailed diary of everything he saw and did on this journey. He later rewrote his notes into a book called Journal and Remarks. This book was published in 1839. It was the third part of the official story of the expedition.

The book became very popular and was printed many times with different titles. Today, it is best known as The Voyage of the Beagle. It is a very important book in the history of science.

Third Journey: Exploring Australia (1837–1843)

In 1837 HMS Beagle set off on a survey of Australia, shown here in an 1841 watercolour by Owen Stanley.

In 1837, the Beagle began its third major journey. This time, its mission was to map the coast of Australia. Commander John Clements Wickham was in charge of the ship.

The crew started by mapping the western coast of Australia. They explored the area between the Swan River (where the city of Perth is today) and the Fitzroy River. After that, they mapped both sides of the Bass Strait, a sea passage between mainland Australia and Tasmania.

In May 1839, they sailed north to map the shores of the Arafura Sea, which is opposite the island of Timor. This long journey finally ended in 1843.

Naming Places in Australia

During this mapping trip, many places along the Australian coast were given names. Many of these names honored important people or members of the Beagle's crew. For example, Commander Wickham named Port Darwin to honor Charles Darwin.

A settlement grew there, which was first called Palmerston in 1869. Later, in 1911, it was renamed Darwin, after the famous scientist. The Beagle Gulf was also named after the ship during this survey.

Images for kids

A drawing showing the inside of HMS Beagle in 1832.
The Beagle Laid Ashore, drawn by Conrad Martens (1834). This shows the ship being repaired on land.
An official map of the Galapagos Islands, created from the surveys done by Captain FitzRoy's team.
An 1846 map of Australia. The red lines show the coasts explored by the Beagle during its third voyage.