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History
Timeline
Compiled by Greg Robins
If
you have information on or stories or photographs, personal experiences,et
al, with uninhabited islands around the world, Greg Robins would like
to hear from you. Please e-mail him directly.
1502
The Swan Islands were first visited by Columbus during his forth voyage
to The New World but, since no fresh water was found on the islands, they
were mostly bypassed and forgotten.
c.1750
The islands were originally christened Islas de las Pozas by Columbus
but, are re-named after a Captain Swan, a pirate known to frequent the
area.
c.1840
Two Cayman islanders named Alley and Page made the first attempt to settle
the islands. They harvested enough timber from Great Swan to build a ship,
which they christened "Champion" and sailed it back to Grand Cayman. Unfortunately,
it sank during the Hurricane of 1876 and they never returned.
c.1850
Another Cayman islander named Samuel Parsons attempted to claim the islands
by placing upon them a number of goats which, over time, multiplied and
eventually formed quite a large heard. This was a marked improvement over
the efforts of Alley and Page but, when Parsons returned to the islands
several years later, he found them occupied by an American phosphate Co.
and all of his goats eaten by the miners.
1856
Much to the dismay of Mr, Parsons, the U.S. Congress passes the Guano
Islands Act of August 18th, 1856 and the islands are claimed the following
year by the United States.
1857
As a result of this new legislation, the Swans were promptly "rediscovered"
in April of this year by John Valentine White. White was the first to
report the existence of guano on the islands and filed his claim with
the U.S. State Department.
Shortly thereafter, In an affidavit dated June 16th, 1857, White conveyed
all rights, title, and interest in the islands to Charles Sterns, Joseph
W. Fabens, and Duff Green, who later incorporated under the name Atlantic
and Pacific Guano Co.
1858
To give you an idea of the magnitude of White’s discovery, the U.S. Navy
detailed Lieutenant George T. Sinclair and a chemist, Thomas Walter, to
survey the deposit in 1858. They estimated that these two tiny islands,
which barely cover 3 square miles in area, would yield in excess of 3
million tons of guano.
1862
The New York Guano Co. acquires the rights to the islands and secures
title by posting a bond with the State Department on December 30th, 1862.
1886
American ornithologist, Charles Townsend becomes the first naturalist
to visit the islands and discovers the White- banded hutia living on Little
Swan.
1902
On July 1st, 1902, the islands come into the possession of Albion Chemical
Co.
1904
In the early part of this year, Albion Chemical becomes insolvent so it
directs its agent, Alonzo Adams to abandon the islands.
On February 3rd, Adams did as he was instructed by physically removing
all the inhabitants from the islands.
Realizing the islands were now unclaimed and unoccupied, Adams returned
the next day taking formal possession for himself alleging "the discovery,
occupation, and possession, of the said Swan Islands. in the name of the
United States."
1908
On November 27th of this year, Adams conveys his rights to the Swan Is.
Commercial Co.
1911
The U.S.S. Wheeling visits the islands and, in a letter dated November
2nd, 1911, the commanding officer states that the guano deposit had become
depleted and that the Swan Is. Commercial Co. was now raising coconuts
on the island. He also reported that United Fruit Co. was buying the coconuts
and owned a small plot of land on Great Swan from which they operated
a radio transmitter.
1914
Great Swan becomes an official U.S. weather station.
1923
Honduras puts forward a claim to the islands viewing them as a symbol
of Yankee imperialism.
Having little upon which to support their position, however, the Honduran
government based its entire argument on the ridiculous assumption that
since the islands were originally discovered for Spain, they should belong
to the closest Spanish speaking country.
The claim is recognized by the United States but denied.
c.1930
Northern cardinals are introduced to Great Swan.
1955
On September 27th, Hurricane Janet devastates the islands.
c.1958
On the heels of the hurricane, housecats are accidentally introduced to
Little Swan bringing the White-banded hutia to the brink of extinction.
1960
A mysterious development takes place on the islands after they are purchased
by the little known Gibraltar Steamship Co. from New York. The Gibraltar
Steamship Co. suspiciously owned no steamships but wasted little time
in setting up a 50,000 watt radio transmitter on Great Swan.
All questions were answered about this puzzling turn of events only after
the transmitter became operational and the Gibraltar Steamship Co. began
blasting anti-Castro propaganda 350 miles to Cuba.
It quickly became obvious that the Gibraltar steamship Co. was, in fact,
a front for the American CIA.
Swan Radio, as it became known, regularly called Castro and his lieutenants
"pigs with beards" and accused Castro’s brother, Raul, of being a "homosexual
with effeminate friends." In rebuttal, Havana could only call Swan Radio,
"a cage of hysterical parrots."
Swan Radio also broadcasted coded messages prior to the Bay of Pigs invasion
in 1961 but, apparently, interrupting Tito Puente songs with messages
like, "Look well into the rainbow...The fish will rise very soon...Chico
is in the house, visit him" aroused more than just casual suspicion.
After the assault failed, Swan Radio was phased out and the island went
back to weather reporting.
1961
In an attempt to make good on the Honduran claim and rescue the islands
from their Yankee captors, a boat load of angry students set sail from
the mainland with the intention of planting the Honduran flag on Great
Swan. This potentially tense international incident was quickly diffused
only after the students were invited ashore for sandwiches and beer and
allowed to raise their flag. The Americans stationed on the island were,
of course, invited to attend the ceremony and afterwards, graciously hosted
the ensuing victory party.
Satisfied they had accomplished their mission, the students then said
good-bye to their new-found friends and happily sailed home.
1971
The United States eventually relinquished the islands to Honduran President
Ramone Ernesto Cruz, who while raising a glass in a victory toast, implied,
in his most serious tongue-in-cheek tone, that it was wise for the United
States to give up the Swans voluntarily or otherwise he would have resorted
to force.
c.1980
The C.I.A. and other covert government agencies, use the islands as a
secret training facility for Nicaraguan Contras.
1989
Honduran president, Rafael Leonardo Callejas, proclaims the islands a
protected wildlife area.
1998
Hurricane Mitch passes directly over the islands.
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If
you were listening to shortwave or DXing the mediumwave band c.1960, the
station of the day was Gibralter Steamship Company's Radio Swan on a guano-based
island in the western Carribean near Honduras. The station broadcast both
on SW 6000 kHz and MW 1160 kHz. As we all now know, the station was operated
by the CIA. Toward the end of 1961 the station changed its name to Radio
Americas and remained on the air until May 1968.
On
our QSL above, note the use of 6000 kHz, now used by Radio Habana Cuba.
Was Horton Heath a real person? I don't remember, but since it was a CIA
front... 
