A Distinguished Past

The Cygnus is a single-masted blunt-nosed cutter built in the autumn of 1786 in the fishing village of Grinstead, situated on Wright Island. The vessel's first owner was a fisherman living on the wind-battered cliffs above the bay, and for the next seven years was used as a fishing boat and as a cargo vessel, transporting people and supplies around the islands.

In 1794 Cygnus was bought for £8,900 by a merchant from the village. For the next one hundred years the ship was a regular sight for the villagers and was employed by various crews to carry valuable goods between Wright Island and Krakabola. For this reason the vessel often carried up six muskets or rifles.

On two occasions Cygnus encountered a ghost ship, the Brown Pearl, on voyages between Grinstead and the Maywar Docks. One of these episodes, in 1816, lasted for four days of the six day journey. The ship arrived to a hero's welcome in Wright Bay with its hull riddled with cannonballs and two crewmen wounded. The Cygnus is the only known ship that has survived two encounters with the Brown Pearl.

By 1890 the vessel was uneconomical in the cargo business and in 1892 was replaced by a steamship, the Evolution. Cygnus was sold out of Grinstead to a family living on the frozen Snowstone Point. For many years they used her for fishing and as a family run-about for day trips around the islands, but in 1930, with her hull badly corroded, Cygnus went to a harbour in Maywar for repairs and to serve as a pilot ferry boat.

In 1950, during the Great Pacific War, Cygnus transported food supplies for the people of Maywar through submarine infested waters. Her wooden hull likely saved her from detection, being quieter and a smaller target on the sonar used by the U-Boats when compared with larger cargo vessels.

Cygnus was bought in 1973 by a collector who, aware of her historic value, restored her to her original condition. To this day she remains berthed in the city of Fliger, just 23 miles from her birthplace in Grinstead, as a museum ship.

Every year on the day of her launch the Cygnus sails on a special voyage to Grinstead as a tribute to the men who sailed her over her years of service, and is often joined by the current fishing fleet and ships from the Wright Navy.

Specifications and Instructions

Length: 54 feet (16.5 metres)
Width: 8.4 feet (2.6 metres)
Height at mast tip: 47.5 feet (14.5 metres)
Weight: 117,519 pounds (53,306 kilograms)

Use throttle or wind for motion.
(Around 55% throttle for powered sailing, or 5-90mph wind speed for normal sailing.)
Roll to steer.
AG1 arms the guardsman's rifle.
Credit must go to Kimcotupan15 for the original ship design off which the Cygnus is based.
Feedback on the above history is very welcome.