<P> The Challenger expedition of 1872--76 was a scientific exercise that made many discoveries to lay the foundation of oceanography . The expedition was named after the mother vessel, HMS Challenger . </P> <P> Prompted by Charles Wyville Thomson--of the University of Edinburgh and Merchiston Castle School--the Royal Society of London obtained the use of Challenger from the Royal Navy and in 1872 modified the ship for scientific work, equipping her with separate laboratories for natural history and chemistry . The expedition, led by Captain George Nares, sailed from Portsmouth, England, on 21 December 1872 . Other naval officers included Commander John Maclear . Under the scientific supervision of Thomson himself, she traveled nearly 70,000 nautical miles (130,000 km) surveying and exploring . The result was the Report Of The Scientific Results of the Exploring Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger during the years 1873 - 76 which, among many other discoveries, cataloged over 4,000 previously unknown species . John Murray, who supervised the publication, described the report as "the greatest advance in the knowledge of our planet since the celebrated discoveries of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries". Challenger sailed close to Antarctica, but not within sight of it . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This section does not cite any sources . Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (December 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> </Table>

Who led the challenger expedition from 1872 to 1876