Swan Islands

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The Swan Island chain is a group of three islands in the Caribbean Sea. Both the United States and Honduras claimed them until 1972 when the United States dropped its claim in favor of Honduras. The islands are located approximately ninety miles off the coastline of Honduras in the northwestern sector of the Caribbean Sea.

A United States citizen named Sumner Smith had claimed ownership of Swan Island in the name of the United States. He was a resident of Boston, president of Abington Textile and Manufacturing Works, and a stockholder in Gibraltar Steamship Company of New York City.

The islands gained attention in the early 1960s due to the activities of Radio Swan which claimed to be owned by the Gibraltar Steamship Company. The station began broadcasting during events leading up to and after the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba. Later investigation discovered that both Radio Swan and Radio Americas which replaced it, were part of a CIA proprietary company operation. The station was removed from the islands in the late 1960s and its main transmitter was transferred for use in the Vietnam conflict.