John Bulkeley (Royal Navy gunner)
John Bulkeley was a British seaman, best known for leading survivors of the wreck of HMS Wager to safety. Bulkeley was the ship's gunner, not one of her commissioned officers. David Cheap, the ship's acting captain, had lost the confidence of his former crew, many of whom were convinced that when the ship was sunk, and their pay ended, they were no longer bound by the Royal Navy's discipline or chain of command. 140 of the ship's complement of 160, survived the wreck, but with very few salvaged supplies, in a very isolated region of southern Chile. By the time the ship's longboat, its largest boat, had been lengthened, over forty additional men had died of starvation, disease, or internal strife.