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

Captain Fremantle was under orders to take possession of the western side of New Holland on behalf of the British government.

The only available boat was an overpriced sloop in poor condition, so he sent a message to the consulate in Valparaíso requesting help, then went back to the Lebu camp.

[6] HMS Beagle, under captain Robert FitzRoy, was surveying the coast and about to leave Valparaíso on 14 June when an English merchant got a letter which mentioned the shipwreck.

FitzRoy questioned them and next day, convinced it was Challenger captained by his friend, collected the mail for the British consulate.

[7][8] They took Blonde south to Concepción, then FitzRoy took horse and a guide to Seymour's Lebu camp, returning to find that Mason had hired the overpriced sloop Carmen with its inexperienced local crew, and sent it off along with the Beagle's whaleboat.

He too had difficulty finding the Lebu River, but they saw signal fires lit at the camp, and arrived on 5 July.

[9] Challenger's captain and crew were returned to England from Coquimbo on 22 July by HMS Conway.