  The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory (Swift) has been in operation for 18
years. The Ultra-Violet/Optical Telescope (UVOT) onboard Swift was designed to
capture the earliest optical/UV emission from gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), spanning
the first few minutes to days after the prompt gamma-ray emission. In this
article, I provide an overview of the long GRBs (whose prompt gamma-ray
duration is >2 s) observed by the Swift/UVOT and review the major discoveries
that have been achieved by Swift/UVOT over the last 18 years. I discuss where
improvements have been made to our knowledge and understanding of the
optical/UV emission, particularly the early optical/UV afterglow.
