She was built in 1887 as a wooden barque by J.E.Hube on his Gamla Varvet at Göteburg, Sweden for A.Landgrens Enka, Göteborg. (Managed by G.D. Kennedy, Göteborg.)
Launched under the name SIGYN, named after the wife of the trickster god Loki.
Tonnage 359 gross, 301 net, 550dwt, dim. 59.00 x 9.30 x 3.80m., length bpp. 42.50m., draught 4.00m.as barque.
Barque rigged and she carried royals above single topgallants and double topsails. Sail area 800m².
Crew 11, later when Barquentine rigged 8/9 and 2 or 4 apprentices.
She trade as a cargo vessel so far as China on her maiden voyage, thereafter used as a tramp cargo vessel around the world seas, where she could find a cargo, before World War I.
1901 She lost her head-gear after a collision with a steamer off Ormes Head near Llandudno, and with a lot of trouble and badly damaged she reached Liverpool for repair.
Six months later was she badly damaged again, and towed into the port of Stornoway, Shetland Islands.
1905 Sold to Anders Svensson, Halmstad, Sweden for 30.000 S Kroner.
September 1905 in collision with the steamer OMSK and again towed in for repair.
End 1913 after a collision with the barque ANDERS she went ashore in bad weather, was refloated but badly damaged, and she was condemned as unseaworthy. Repaired by Svensson in Råå and rerigged as barquentine.
He sold her in 1918 to C.T.Jonasson & Salsakers Angsags AB, Råå, Sweden. Svensson made a good profit on her he sold her near the peak of World War I shipping boom for seven times the price he paid in 1905.
1925 Sold to Sigfried Ziegler of Råå, but he died soon afterwards and the SIGYN was sold in 1927 to Arthur Lundqvist of Wärdö (Vardö), Aland Island for 20.000 kroner.
Thereafter mostly used in the timber trade in the Baltic and Northsea.
1931 Laid up till July 1933 then only used in the Baltic timber trade.
1938 Lloyds register gives her owner as Fred. Wennström, Wärdö.
February 1939 sold to Sjöhistoriska Museet vid Abo Akademi at Abo for use as a museum ship.
SIGYN was bought 1939 and opened for the public 3 June 1939. Before the end of the year the Winter War begun, followed by the Continuation War. SIGYN was damaged, and there was a severe lack of funds and people for her maintenance.
After the wars there were negotiations about SIGYN sailing as merchant ship again and thus earning the needed money herself. There was a shortage of tonnage after the war, so this would be profitable, but risky. The proposition was eventually turned down and SIGYN was repaired by donated money. 1948 she was again opened for visitors. In 1950 she even sailed on Airisto outside Turku as part of a film, Laivan kannella (SIGYN had had such a role once before, 1916 for Terje Vigen).
SIGYN's hull was partly renewed 1971–1972 at the Suomenlinna shipyard. Funds were not sufficient though and not until 1979 was SIGYN reopened for the public, now again as a barque. 1994 a floating dock called "Loke" was constructed to prevent the cat's back phenomenon, and SIGYN's hull was again renewed 1998-2001, now for a big part. This work was carried out at Sjökvarteret in Mariehamn, where Albanus and Linden had been built and thus much knowledge about wooden ships acquired. Some work has also been done in Turku, where SIGYN now is moored by Forum Marinum in the Aura River.
Finland 1997 2m80 sg 1477, scott 1047.
Source: Wikipedia, last part downloaded. Great Sailing Ships of the World by Otmar Schäuffelen, and some web-sites.