The wooden 6th Rate Man of War HMS Swan was built for the English Navy in 1641. She was 200 tons and carried twelve cannon cast by the famous English merchant John Browne, the first holder of the post of King’s Gunfounder. Browne had developed a gun nicknamed ‘The Drake’ which was considerably lighter than it’s predecessors firing the same weight of shot. This enabled the vessels to carry more gun power and remain stable. These guns were installed on Swan. In 1645, towards the end of the English Civil War, she was captured by the Commonwealth of England and became a member of the Anti-Royalist fleet. That same year King Charles 1 was defeated and taken prisoner by the Roundhead army.
Swan wreck site lies below Duart Castle, Mull
The 17th century was a tumultuous time in the history of both Scotland and England. Oliver Cromwell, after defeating the Cavaliers in the Civil War in England, set about bringing the unruly clans of Scotland, many of whom remained loyal to the unseated Charles I, under control. In truth, many of the clans were probably only loosely associated with Charles as they were only really interested in their own well-being and their never ending feuds with their neighbours in Scotland. However, the MacLeans of Duart were indeed well known Royalists and staunch supporters of the deposed king.
Under the command of Colonel Ralph Cobbett, Cromwell sent a small fleet of six ships and one thousand men north to confront and hopefully subjugate MacLean. The fleet included the Swan plus the Speedwell, Martha, Margaret and two others ships. When they arrived at MacLean’s stronghold at Duart Castle on 13th September, 1653 they unexpectedly found the castle deserted and were unsure of how or where to proceed. Cobbett anchored his ships under the ramparts of the castle but, before he made the decision on their next move, they were hit by a violent storm which raged for sixteen terrible hours. Four of his six ships were lost. Most of the men escaped except the occupants of the Speedwell. Of the twenty four men aboard this ship only one survived.
The loss of a wooden vessel on such an exposed coast usually means that the wreckage is dispersed quickly and all traces of the ship lost. However, remarkably, in this case, this was not to be. On 2nd February, 1979 a naval diving instructor, John Dadd, was rummaging in the shallows beneath Duart Castle looking for lobsters when he happened on seven iron cannons half buried beneath the sand and rocks in 10 metres of water. A number of other interesting objects were revealed after a careful search among the kelp. Thankfully, Dadd did not disturb the site and, many years later, in 1991, he reported his find to the Archaeological Diving Unit at St Andrews University. The site has been designated as a protected wreck site and has been the subject of a major archaeological survey led by Dr Colin Martin and later by Wessex Archaeology.
Swan wreckage survey by Wessex Archaeology
The wreck, which lies on a sand rock slope in depths ranging from 12 to 20 metres in position 56° 27.439’N 005° 39.385’W (WGS84) has not been absolutely confirmed as the Swan but the presence of the Royal Fleur de Lys and other richly carved wooden panels would certainly indicate that the Swan is the most likely candidate.
