HMS Swan was launched on 21 November 1767 at Plymouth as the lead ship of the 24 ships in the 14-gun Swan-class of ship-sloops built in the 1760s and 1770s. She served during the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolutionary War. She bore the name HMS Explosion between 1779 and 1783; at the time she was classed as a fireship. She was laid up in 1801 and finally sold in 1814. Swan then became a whaler in the northern whale fishery, sailing out of Kingston-on-Hull. She also made one voyage to the southern whale fishery (1819–1821) and one merchant voyage to Brazil and Hamburg, before returning to the northern whale fishery. She was broken up circa. 1841.
December, 1774 under command of Capt. James Ayscough serving in British North America.[1] Swan took Europe and sent her to Cowes around 17 July 1793.
On 10 April, 1799 under command of Captain Carew, she and frigate HMS Hind captured American merchant sloop "Fair Columbian" off the coast of Florida (29.15°N -126°W). Eventually Fair Columbian's crew reasserted control of the ship and brought her into Baltimore.[2]
On 17 January, 1800 USS Warren made contact with sloop of war HMS Swan, Jacob Watson commanding, off Abaco Island operating out of Bermuda.[3]
In 1814 Swan became a whaler sailing to the Northern Whale Fishery. She made annual voyages to Greenland or Davis Strait from 1815 to 1819.
Swan, Taylor, master, made five annual voyages between 1815 and 1819. The data below is from Coltish.
| Year | Grounds | "Fish" (Whales) | Tuns whale oil |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1815 | Greenland | 6 | 91 |
| 1816 | Davis Strait | 10 | 154 |
| 1817 | Davis Strait | 11 | 165 |
| 1818 | Davis Strait | 4 | 58 |
| 1819 | Davis Strait | 5 | 48 |
In 1819–1821 Swan made one voyage to the South Seas Whale Fishery. Captain Dring sailed on 2 November 1819, bound for Walvis Bay. Swan returned to Hull on 28 September 1821 with 170 tons of whale oil. The cargo bounty was £500, and the cargo's value was £3420.[4]
Swan then sailed as a merchantman to Brazil. On 4 March 1822 she was at Falmouth, having come from Hull and on her way to Rio de Janeiro. She arrived at Rio on 30 April. On 23 June she was at Bahia. By 12 September she had returned to Deal and on the 17th she sailed for Hambro. She arrived at Cuxhaven on 25 September, and Hambro the next day. She returned to Hull on 22 November.
Swan, Dring, master, returned to the Northern Whale Fishery in 1823. In 1823 and 1824 she did her whale hunting off Greenland. From 1825 to 1840 she was at Davis Strait. The data below is primarily from Coltish.
| Year | Master | "Fish" (Whales) | Tuns whale oil |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1823 | Dring | 12 | 111 |
| 1824 | Dring | 3 | 55 |
| 1825 | Dring | 8 | 120 |
| 1826 | Dring | 11 | 190 |
| 1827 | Dring | 160 | |
| 1828 | Dring | 19 | 204 |
| 1829 | Dring | 13 | 195 |
| 1830 | Dring | 0 | "Clean" |
| 1831 | Dring | 6 | 90 |
| 1832 | Dring | 25 | 214 |
| 1833 | Dring | 24 | 196 |
| 1834 | Dring | 19 | 151 |
| 1835 | Dring | 2 | 90 butts blubber containing 25 tons of train oil, plus one ton of fins |
| 1836/1837 | Dring | 3 | c.30 |
On 18 August Swan, Dring, master, sailed from Hull to Petersburg. She returned on 14 November. Such off-season voyages may have been more common than this one instance would suggest.
| Year | Master | "Fish" (Whales) | Tuns whale oil |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1838 | Dring | 14 | 165 |
| 1839 | Dring | 3 | Note: Swan also returned with a polar bear she had lassoed in the water |
| 1840 | Dring | 1 | |
Her entry in LR for 1841 and 1842 carried no trade data. Her entry in the 1842 volume bore the annotation "broken up" beneath her name.[6]