Swan Anniversary Appeal

The Swan Trust is looking forward to a busy year in 2025, and the 125^th anniversary of the launch of the now iconic Shetland boat.

Launched from Hay’s Dock in Lerwick on 3^rd May 1900, Swan LK243 has had an interesting and varied life. Her early days were as a sailing fishing vessel, with her Whalsay crew re-rigging her with a ‘smack rig’ in 1908 (how she is rigged today) and the later addition of an engine in 1935 to keep up with changes in the industry. Her fishing days came to an end in the 1950s and Swan was relocated to Grimsby in the 1960s where she eventually became a houseboat. In the 1980s the boat was moved to Hartlepool where she lay neglected until being returned to Shetland for restoration in the 1990s.

Since the full restoration, Swan has operated primarily as a sail training vessel, taking part in Tall Ships races and providing valuable sail training experiences to hundreds of young people locally and internationally. Public trips, school trips and private charters are also available every year with the Swan Trust’s purpose being to provide education, and advance Shetland’s maritime heritage and culture by maintaining and providing public access to the boat.

Part of this is achieved by offering public day trips and open days on board, both of which are planned for the anniversary weekend alongside an exhibition at Shetland Museum and Archives to celebrate the milestone age of 125 years.

In planning the exhibition, Swan Trustees are looking to the Shetland public to loan items for display that would be of interest in charting in the Swan’s history. This could be paintings, models, awards or memorabilia from the past. These items will be on display alongside items from the Trust’s own archive.

Swan Trust Operations Manager, Emma Miller, said “The Swan has played a part in the lives of so many folk in Shetland – whether for work, sailing pleasure or education and skills development. The boat itself creates a fantastic social network of volunteers, past and present crew and enthusiastic passengers. I’m sure there are plenty of folk who have Swan related thing about the house which would help us tell the fascinating and important story of her past 125 years. We’d love to be able to share these things and ask if folk would get in touch with details of their items.”

Anyone who would like to offer an item for loan in the exhibition should email details and a photograph of the item to [email protected] before Friday 4^th April. Physical items or paintings will be prioritised for inclusion over photographs.