Grave of the crew of the Doterel ship

On April 26, 1881, the British gunboat DOTEREL arrived for a visit at the port of Punta Arenas, traveling from the Atlantic to the Pacific. All the authorities attended the ship’s reception. As they were preparing to board the vessel, an explosion occurred, completely destroying and sinking it. Of the 143 crew members, only 12 survived, including Captain Evans, Engineer Walker, Lieutenant Stokers, and Treasurer J.N. Colborne.

It took several days to recover the remains from the Strait of Magellan. On December 22, 1936, with great honors and the attendance of distinguished representatives from the United Kingdom, who arrived on the cruiser S.M. AJAX, the remains of the unfortunate crew members were finally laid to rest.