What is the name of the ship Darwin sailed on his voyage?

Charles Darwin sailed around the world aboard HMS Beagle. The ship’s second surveying voyage carried him from 1831 to 1836 and profoundly shaped his work in geology and natural history.

HMS Beagle was a Royal Navy survey vessel commanded by Robert FitzRoy. Its official mission included charting parts of the South American coastline, while Darwin joined as a young naturalist. He spent much of the expedition exploring on land, collecting specimens, examining fossils, and recording geological formations while the ship’s crew conducted surveys.

The voyage was originally expected to last about two years but ultimately lasted almost five. Darwin visited South America, the Galápagos Islands, Tahiti, Australia, and other locations before returning to England. His observations helped undermine the belief that species were fixed and later contributed to his theory of evolution by natural selection.

A common mix-up is confusing this voyage with other famous Royal Navy expeditions, such as those of HMS Endeavour or HMS Challenger. Darwin’s landmark journey was specifically the second voyage of HMS Beagle, led by FitzRoy.