Black Buccaneer

About

Black Buccaneer was a swinging pirate ship that operated at Chessington World of Adventures Resort in southwest London, England from 1988 to 2018 in the Pirates' Cove section of the park. After operating for 30 years, the ride has been replaced by Blue Barnacle in 2021.

History: Black Buccaneer was originally manufactured by Huss Rides in 1984, however opened at the park as Smugglers Galleon in 1988. In 1998, the ride was rebranded as 'Black Buccaneer' and repainted black. The ride received a soundtrack in late 2013. For the start of the 2017 season, the ride received a new coat of paint and a single rider queue. From the start of the 2018 season, the attraction sat dismantled until being rebuilt in July. After last operating during the 2018 Winters Tail event, the park announced at the start of the 2019 season that the ride would open late, alongside three other rides. Whilst the others later opened, Black Buccaneer remained dismantled and the park eventually confirmed that the ride would not operate for the 2019 season. After much speculation, it was announced the ride would be replaced for 2020 with a new ship called Blue Barnacle. Work, however, stopped due to the COVID-19...