NOTE: This information was previously published on my "Central Atlantic Storm Investigators Tropical Weather" website in 1998. This page contains a screenshots, and the actual text, from this special report.

Screenshot of CASI Swan Island Report

CASI/Jesse Ferrell

Super Hurricane Mitch and Swan Island - Oct. 26, 1998

At 8pm on 10/26/98 the NHC stated: "...EYE OF CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE MITCH MOVING OVER SWAN ISLAND..."

It has certainly been decimated - damage the likes of which the U.S. (and quite possibly any land in the Atlantic) has never seen. So what do we know about the island?

At this time I cannot confirm that the island is permanently inhabited. According to the map below however there is an airfield. The Swan Islands are property of Honduras and are very remote, very small (3 square miles) islands to its northeast. Here's a static detailed nautical map and a non-detailed interactive map. Zoom out for a general location.

Swan Island Map, 1998

lib.utexas.edu

The Encyclopedia Britannica says: "Spanish ISLAS DEL CISNE, two islets (Greater and Lesser Swan) in the Caribbean Sea, 97 mi (156 km) north of Honduras. Discovered by Christopher Columbus on St. Anne's day in 1502, they were named Islas Santa Ana. The islands, only 3 sq mi (8 sq km) in area, served as a pirate haunt from the 16th through the 18th century. In 1775 they appeared . . . " To get more you will need a free trial. Link from here.

From Chris Kulig: "The Swan Islands consist of two islands (Isla Grande and Isla Pequena), the former being inhabited by a few military and one "permanent" farmer, tending to the livestock on the island. Fishermen also frequent the island. The topography is relatively flat. At one time, a US weather service occupied the island. There is still equipment leftover from that era. There is a runway, but is now overgrown with grass and a pasture for the cows. Other than than a few people and livestock, the island is inhabited by birds relatively large lizards. Isla Pequena is about half the size of Isla Grande and is higher in elevation. Access onto this island is extremely difficult as there is no beach. The perimeter of the island is surrounded by sheer cliffs and there is really no area where the sea is calm. In addition, the coral reefs that surround these islands are razor sharp. There are no coconut trees on the small island, and it is extremely thick in terms of brush. This island is virtually uninhabitable."

From: Eveline Bill Date: Friday, October 30, 1998 3:29 AM As of 1940, the Swan Islands were a "British Colony/Honduran" property, but apparently the Brits let them go, and now they are the location of a small Honduran military base, and presumably house a few Honduran soldiers at their barracks....but knowing the Caribbean, there are probably a number of unofficial residents, fishermen, etc...Strangely, in this day and age, there is almost no information available about the place - if you know more, anyone, dear reader, please post it, especially if you live there or have visited the place...It must be wonderful, except for the Hurricanes.....

UPDATE: "There was a report on one of the news services that Mitch had passed directly over Swan Island. The five servicemen there were reportedly unharmed after taking refuge in caves."

UPDATE : This page says: "Bob is worried because he cannot get word from friends on Swan Island, but thinks they may still all be in their shelters ...he had spoken last with them about an hour before the EYE passed over Swan Island."

The only other tidbits that I did find on the Web are as follows:

1/96: "Swan Islands - originally known as the Islas Santanilla. Isla Grande is the largest of these islands; very remote. A private tourism enterprise is investing heavily here." (Honduras Parks)
1945: "To support the Bay of Pigs invasion in 461, Honduras "let" the C.I.A. set up a transmitter on Swan Island. It was the worst-kept secret in Honduras!" (MORE - Caribbean Stories)

1999 UPDATE: During the last year a number of people have written me about Swan Island. Thanks to all of you. Here is a list of comments.

_______________________________________________________________ From: Russ Summerell Swan island was used by the CIA during the Contra war to resupply the contras via airplane. During that time, it was off limits to fishing and tourism. _______________________________________________________________ From: (John Grace) I read an account of some english naturalists in an old tattered book around 1919 visiting the island it made mention of a coconut plantation some farm animals and a family there and it being a pirate haunt. id love to here more . this is the first mention of it ive found otherwise whoes investing? I wanna go see the place. _______________________________________________________________ From: Dosidicus Mitch wasn't the first category five hurricane to hit Swan Island. Interestingly, another category five hurricane, Janet, tracked directly over Swan Island on September 27, 1955. A small U.S. military outpost was there at the time, and a vivid eyewitness account of their experience is given in Dunn and Miller's Atlantic Hurricanes (1964). _______________________________________________________________ From: Mike stanley I dont have the information in front of me but the island was 'found' by an american ship capt. named swan. the radio station mentioned on your page was owned by then Philco Radio. I know this from the fact that my father worked at the station for about 5 years. in the 60's they operated a spanish language AM radio station that could be heard at night in Fl. the station was simmilar to what radio marte (sp?) is today. there is a book out called "None dare call it treason" which mentions that the station was transmitting coded messages to the cubans that were 'supposed' to support the bay of pigs invasion. During the missle crisas and the bay of pigs it was not uncommon for a us navy destroyer anchored off the island. last I heard there was still a native population on the island. if you want more details mail me back and i will try to dig up what i can. Mr. Michael D. Stanley Fiscal Assistant IFAS Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences _______________________________________________________________ From: "B&D Dolan" I was searching for information on Swan Island because it is a part of my family history. My great-great aunt was married to the " King of Swan Islands" at the turn of the centuty. The gentleman's name was Alonzo Adams. mr. Adams was an active ships captain who travelled extensively. On Feb. 6, 1904, he claimed the Swan Islands as abandoned property. He established a radio station and lighthouse there. He sold the islands to a group of Boston businessmen.My grandmother had a letter from them in the Swan Islands written on stationary from the Swan Islands Trading Company. The letter was postmarked in New Orleans.A good description of Swan Islands and Captain Adams and his family appears in a 1911 book titled" A Naturalist on Desert Islands", by Percy R. Lowe. Mr Adams was originally from Deer Island ,New Brunswick, Canada. He brought a parrot home from the islands once to his sister-in-law and her husband- but unfortunately in put out an eye of their son. Mr. Adams died in 1913 in Boston. My father is the family historian, and I have always known that if only Mr. Adams hadn't sold the islands, maybe we could have been heirs to a Carribean island. I too have foung no information on the islands on the Web. This site is the only thing I have found. I hope this info. is of interest to you.- B.D. _______________________________________________________________ Date: Mon, 26 Oct 1998 19:43:34 -0600 From: Gary Padgett Subject: Swan Island & Hurricane Janet > > ...EYE OF CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE MITCH MOVING OVER SWAN ISLAND... > This isn't the first time this century that tiny Swan Island has been struck head-on by a Cat. 5 hurricane. Around noon on 27 Sep 1955 the eye of Hurricane Janet moved directly over the island. For those of you who have access to Dunn and Millers' classic book _Atlantic Hurricane_, the first chapter includes an eyewitness account of Janet's passage over the island. The lowest pressure reported in the Best Track file for Janet was 914 mb at 27/0600Z. Except for 938 mb given at 27/1200Z, no more pressure readings were given before the hurricane made land near Chetumal, Mexico around 28/0600Z. Dunn and Miller report that the anemometer at the airport terminal building in Chetumal registered 175 mph before it collapsed. Eyewitnesses reported the wind continued to increase and was estimated to have reached 200 mph. The authors don't report the time averaging period for the reading, but I gather that it is a sustained wind of some sort and not a gust. According to an atlas, Chetumal lies on the west shore of a large bay which is separated from the Caribbean by a peninsula, and looks like it (Chetumal) is at least 30 nm away from the open Caribbean, maybe more. So all this suggests to me that, even though we have no way of proving it, Janet was quite likely a hurricane in the class of Allen, Camille, and now Mitch (maybe not quite a Gilbert). ------------------------------

Swan Island Comments 1999

CASI/Jesse Ferrell

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