December 21 marked 150 years since HMS Challenger set sail to map the world’s seas - and it couldn't have done so without Edinburgh.
The HMS Challenger set off from Portsmouth harbour in 1872 and was the first to explore the the depths of the oceans globally and in turn revolutionised the field of oceanography.
But as research from Edinburgh University shows, it really couldn't have happened without Edinburgh. To explore the seven seas, the Royal Society appointed West Lothian born Charles Wyville-Thomson to lead the team of scientists. He was a 'veteran' of several shorter expeditions out at sea and recently received the the natural history chair at the University of Edinburgh.
For the revolutionary expedition, Wyville-Thomson gathered together six scientists, bringing along one of his staff and former Edinburgh University student, John Murray. Both men went on to receive a knighthood and Murray became a significant oceanographer in his own right.
The expedition lasted nearly four years and the steam-assisted sailing ship they acquired from the Royal Navy, travelled a distance of 125,580 km –about one third of the distance from the Earth to the Moon.
Through their travels, the scientists learned that the depths of the ocean were in fact filled with life. Out of all the specimens collected, nearly 5,000 of them were new species of marine life and zoological samples were often transported mid-expedition back to the laboratories in Edinburgh.
However, Wyville-Thomson made the controversial decision at the time to send samples to leading scientists all around the world. The final report took longer than expected and on top of the expense, Wyville-Thomson died aged 52 in 1882, reportedly by the stress of it all.
Wyville-Thomson and his legacy is honoured in the so-called ‘Challenger Window’, a stained-glass window found in St. Michael's Parish Church, Linlithgow. He was born in the town and is buried in St Michael’s churchyard just below the window that celebrates his achievement.
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