THE GANGPLANK - welcome aboard the Radio Waves web site
THE BRIDGE - a guide to the pages on this web site
THE MEMORIES - the swinging sixties
THE RADIO STATIONS - a summary of the offshore atations that were audible in the UK
THE SHIPS - a summary of the offshore radio ships broadcasting to the UK
SOUNDS OF THE SEA - Offshore radio jingles and songs
THE CHART ROOM - album and singles charts
TODAY'S RADIO OFFERINGS - Bureaucrasy and boredom
ROCK THE BOAT - music no longer heard on the radio
THE ROSS REVENGE TODAY - a pictorial tour of the famous Radio Caroline ship
THE LEGEND LIVES ON - the spirit is still alive
THE CAPTAIN'S LOG - sign the log and say hello
THE RADIO LINK - the best radio and music web sites
Admire the web site awards!
Click here to email Jolly Roger

RADIO WAVES
The story of the rise and fall of offshore radio and how it affected the music industry.

THE RADIO SHIPS
A summary of the radio ships broadcasting to the UK
Ship Station Wavelength Location On air
Aegir Radio Delmare 191M, 192M Flushing, Holland 8/78-9/78
Towed to Rotterdam and sold for scrap
Bon Jour Radio Nord 495M, 498M Stockholm, Sweden 1/61-3/61
Renamed Magda Maria 3/61, qv
Borkum Riff Radio Veronica 183M, 192M Scheveningen, Holland 4/60-5/65
  CNBC 192M   2/61-4/61
Replaced by the Nordeney
Cheeta Radio Mercur 93.12Mhz, 89.55Mhz, 89.58Mhz The Sound, Copenhagen 7/58-2/62
  Skänes Radio Mercur 89.55Mhz, 88.0 Mhz, 89.6 Mhz   12/58-2/62
  Radio Syd 89.62Mhz, 88.30Mhz Malmö, Sweden 2/62-9/64
Adrift and ran aground 9/64. holed but towed into harbour at Malmö, Sweden. Sank at quayside 10/64.
Cheeta II Radio Mercur 88.0Mhz, 89.55Mhz Funen & Zeeland 1/61-7/62
  Radio Syd 88.3Mhz, 91.5Mhz Malmö, Sweden -/65-1/66
  TV Syd UHF Channel E41   1/66-1/66
  Radio Caroline   Harwich 1/66-4/66
Towed into Parkeston after running adrift 7/66, later moved to Flushing, Belgium, then Corunna, Spain, Safi, Morocco, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Las Palmas, and finally Bathurst in Gambia - arriving 12/67. Converted into floating restaurant 1969 whilst Radio Syd was broadcast from land nearby. Sold 1971 but not used and partly sank after a storm 8/71.
Caroline Radio Caroline 199M Felixstowe 3/64-7/64
  Radio Caroline North 197M, 257M Ramsey, Isle of Man 7/64-3/68
Sold for scrap 1972, broken up in Holland 1980
Comet Radio Scotland 238M, 242M Dunbar 1/66-4/66
      Troon 4/66-4/67
  Radio Scotland and Ireland   Ballywater, Northern Ireland 4/67-4/67
  Radio Scotland   Dunbar 5/67-8/67
Towed into Dunbar 8/67, sold and towed to Holland for use as a houseboat.
Communicator Laser 730 411M Off Essex coast 1/84-3/84
  Laser 558 538M   3/84-11/85
  Laser Hot Hits 521M   12/86-4/87
Kept at sea for some while, awaiting decision on future, moored at acrapyard in Mistley after loss of anchor. Later sold.
The ship was used as a transmitter for land-based station Holland FM 9/94 to 10/94, Hit Radio Holland FM 10.94-10/95, Hit Radio Veronica from 10/95. It later returned to the UK and made licenced braodcasts in Orkney for a few months in 2004 but fell out of use and was broken up at St Mary Hope in 2007.
Droit de Parole Radio Brod 417M, 90Mhz Adriatic Sea 4/93-3/94
Ship, which was leased, was returned to the owners
Galaxy Radio London 266M Walton-on-Naze 12/64-8/67
Sold and sailed to Hamburg, Germany where overhauled for a proposed German offshore station. Transferred by shipyard owners to Schwentine Estuary in Kiel in 1975. Patially sunk 1979 and used for underwater welding practice. Salvaged and scrapped 1986.
Jeanine Radio Atlantis 201M, 227M, 229M, 270M, 312M Knocke, Belgium 12/73-8/74
This ship actually carried the name Janiene on the side, incorrectly.
Towed into Vlissingen 9/74. Sold to a ship-breaker in Ouwerkerk, Holland 4/76 and scrapped. This was the same company that broke up the MV Caroline.
King David Capital Radio 270M Noordwijk, Holland 5/70-11/70
Ran adrift 11/70 and beached itself at Noordwijk, and later taken to dry dock at Amsterdam. Around 1972 it was sold by auction and towed to Betuwe, Gelderland, Holland and used for storage by a steel company. In 1981 the ship was moved to another mooring between the villages of Heerwaarden and Kerkdriel where what remained of the hull was filled with concrete and used as the base for a floating pier. The hull was sunk in seven metres of water in 1994 and is currently used by a local diving club for practice.
Laissez Faire Radio Dolfijn 227M Walton-on-Naze 11/66-3/67
  Radio 227 227M   3/67-7/67
  Radio 355 355M   5/67-8/67
Towed to Miami, USA, In 1970 it was renamed Akuarius II, and in 1974 became the Earl J Conrad Junior and operated as a cargo vessel. It was last heard of working as a fishing vessel in the Gulf of Mexico for Haynie Products of Reedsville, Ohio, USA in 1987..
Lucky Star Danmarks Commercielle Radio 93.97 Mhz The Sound, Copenhagen 9/61-2/62
  Radio Mercur 88.0Mhz   1/61-8/62
Originally sailing ship Roelfenaof 1900, motorised 1927 and became MV Taurus, later Nijmah Al Hazz.
Ship impounded 8/62 by police as not legally registered, towed inshore 8/62, became a coaster (later MV Kamila Witthoft), scrapped at Nakskov 1974.
Magda Maria Radio Nord 495M, 498M Stockholm, Sweden 3/61-6/62
Sailed to El Ferroll, Spain 7/62 and to Thames Estuary 9/62, renamed Mi Amigo, qv.
Also went to Galveston, USA and back prior to use by Radio Atlanta in 5/64.
Magda Maria Radio Paradijs 270M Off Dutch coast, near REM Island. 7/81-7/81
This was not the same ship as the Magda Maria of 1961, but there is a connection as the ship was intended as a replacement for the Mi Amigo after it sank.
Found by Dutch authorities to not be legally registered and towed into Ijmuiden 8/81. Towed to Zeebrugge and scrapped 3/89.
Magdelena Radio Mi Amigo International 272M Zeebrugge, Belgium 7/79-9/79
Broke anchor and drifted inshore and ran aground in Dutch waters 9/79.
Salvaged 9/79 and scrapped at De val, Zeelandbrug, 10/79.
Mebo II Radio Nordsee International 190M, 49M, 102m/cs VHF Noordwijk, Holland 1/70-9/70
  Radio Nordsee International 220M, 100 mc/s VHF, 48M SW, Scheveningen, Holland 2/71-8/74
  RNI2 192M   9/72-10/72
Towed to De Groot van Vliet shipyared 9/71, overhauled and sold to Libyan Government for political broadcasting 5/78. Renamed El Fatah. During 1984, used by Libyan Navy for target practice, and sunk in the Gulf of Sidra, Mediterranean Sea.
Mi Amigo Radio Atlanta 201M Frinton 5/64-7/64
  Radio Caroline South 201M   7/64-1/66
  Radio Caroline International 253M   8/67-3/68
  Radio 199 199M Scheveningen, Holland 9/72-12/72
  Radio Caroline 259M, 319M   9/72-9/74
  Radio Atlantis 253M   7/73-10/73
  Radio Seagull 259M   7/73-2/74
  Radio Mi Amigo 192M, 212M, 253M, 312M   9/73-9/74
      Knock Deep 9/74-10/78
  Radio Caroline 259M, 319M   2/74-3/80
Sank after running aground 20/3/80, mast visible until 7/86. Later destroyed as a shipping hazard.
Nordeney Radio Veronica 192M, 538M Katwijk ann Zee, Holland 5/65-8/74
Towed into Zaandam harbour 8/75, moved to Zoutkamp harbour, Groningen for conversion to a restaurant and discotheque in 1981. Used as such at various Dutch locations through to 1993. Fully rebuilt and re-opened as cafeteria and restaurant in Leeuwarden harbour 11/95. By 2002 had moved to Antwerp, Belgium, where it funvctions as a restaurant and discoteque.
Oceaan 7 Radio 270 270M Scarborough 6/66-8/67
Sold for scrap 1968 and broken up at Blyth.
Olga Patricia Radio England 225M, 227M, 355M Walton-on-Naze 3/66-11/66
  Britain Radio 227M, 355M   5/66-2/67
The Olga Patricia was renamed Laissez Faire 2/67, qv.
Ross Revenge Radio Caroline 319M, 505M, 513M, 521M, 538M Knock Deep, North Sea 8/83-6/87
  Radio Monique 312M, 366M   12/84-11/87
  Radio Caroline 366M, 538M, 48M South Falls Head, North Sea 6/87-10/90
  Radio 819 366M   5/88-6/88
  Radio 558 538M   7/88-10/88
  Radio 819 366M   10/88-8/89
Broke adrift and ran aground on Goodwin Sands 11/91 in a force ten gale. Salvaged and towed into Dover Harbour. Purchased by the Ross Revenge Support Group and gradually restored as a museum ship and RSL broadcast base from locations around South East England. Currently moored in Thames estuary and visits may be arranged.
Uilenspiegel Radio Antwerpen 39M, 201M Zeebrugge, Belgium 10/62-12/62
Broke adrift in heavy storms 12/62. Taken into tow, but broke adrift again and ran aground at Retranchement where the ship gradually sank. In 1971 the remains were partially blown up as they were regarded as a shipping hazard, but not removed until 2001 when considered to be a safety hazard to hoildaymakers.
Fort Station Wavelength Location On air
Knock John Radio Essex 222M Thames Estuary 11/65-10/66
  BBMS 222M   10/66-12/66
The broadcasting equipment was transferred to Rough's Tower but the station never restarted. The station manager instead declared Rough's Tower as the independent principality of Sealand where he still resides.
This is the only tower still in sound condition and occupied.
REM Island Radio Noordzee 214M Noordwijk, Holland 9/64-12/64
  TV Noordzee Channel 11   9/64-12/64
This oil-rig style platform was built specifically for this purpose. Offered for sale 9/65.
Red Sands Radio Invicta 306M Thames Estuary 7/64-2/65
  K I N G 236M   3/65-9/65
  Radio 390 388.1M   9/65-7/67
The catwalks and access ladders were stripped (late 1970's?) to discourage visitors exploring the structures. The basic structure remains, in poor condition.
Shivering Sands Radio Sutch 197M Thames Estuary 5/64-9/64
  Radio City 187M, 299M   9/64-2/67
  Radio 310 310M   5/66-5/66
A ship ran into and demolished one tower in 1963 in fog. The catwalks and access ladders were stripped (late 1970's?) to discourage visitors exploring the structures. The basic structure remains, in poor condition.
Sunk Head Tower Radio 215M, 236M Walton-on-Naze 10/65-2/66
  Radio Tower 234M   3/66-5/66
Destroyed by Royal Engineers 21/8/67 to prevent occupation as it was outside territorial limits. Stumps of tower remain and are used as a navigational aid.
Many thanks to David Baker for additional information on the current status of the forts.


From the MV Communicator in international waters . . .