copyright - WHOI

Built: 1927 in Singapore by C.E. Nicholson Length: Beam: Draft: Names: 97.9' 21' 11'3" Black Swan 1927-1930, Santa 1930-1935, Marie 1947-1948, Caryn 1948-1958

Rumor has it that Caryn was originally built specifically for smuggling. When the vessel was first launched, she carried 4,000 square feet of canvas. WHOI purchased Caryn in 1947 from her third owner, C.R. Hotchkiss of New York.

At WHOI, Caryn made 110 cruises, mostly along the East Coast through the Caribbean and around Bermuda. All types of oceanography were undertaken. The vessel was sold in 1958 to S.H. Swift, was renamed Black Swan, and engaged in charter trade. On New Year’s Eve, 1974, at St. Maarten’s Island, West Indies, the vessel burned.