MV Caroline was a passenger ferry originally operated by DFDS Seaways as MV Fredericia which later gained international recognition as an offshore radio station. She was built for and operated by DFDS Seaways serving various routes to and from Copenhagen. During the Second World War, she was laid up between 1941 and 1943.[1]
.jpg) MV Caroline c. 1965
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name |
|
| Owner |
|
| Operator |
|
| Port of registry |
|
| Builder | Frederikshavns V & F A/S, Frederikshaven |
| Launched | 1930 |
| In service | May 1930 |
| Out of service | August 1963 |
| Fate | Sold for scrap on 29 May 1972 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Passenger ferry |
| Tonnage | 763 GRT |
| Length | 188 ft (57.30 m) |
History
editIn December 1963 Fredericia was sold to Cross Channel Container Services Limited, Greenore, County Louth, Ireland. This was a cover company owned by the Irish entrepreneur Ronan O'Rahilly. Having purchased the vessel, her new owners claimed that she would be used in service between the UK and Ireland under the name Iseult.[2] However, in reality, she had been bought for conversion to a floating radio station. The conversion was undertaken at Greenore Harbour, following which she was renamed Caroline in 1964 with her port of registry changed to Panama.[3]
The Caroline departed Greenore on 23 March 1964, to a supposed destination in Spain. She passed Land's End on 25 March, at which time she altered course and made passage through the English Channel and entered the North Sea where she anchored off Felixstowe, Suffolk.[1] Radio Caroline began test transmissions on 27 March 1964 at 6:00 pm GMT; at 10:00 pm, and at 11:55 pm on 201 metres (1495 kHz). On 28 March, Radio Caroline began regular broadcasting at noon on 1520 kHz (announced as 199 metres in the medium wave band) with the opening conducted by Simon Dee.[3]
On 2 July 1964, Radio Atlanta and Radio Caroline's companies, Project Atlanta and Planet Productions, announced the stations were to merge and operate an expanded service as Radio Caroline. Consequently, Radio Atlanta closed at 8 p.m. BST that same day. It was renamed Radio Caroline South with the MV Mi Amigo remaining off Frinton-on-Sea, while Caroline would relocate from her position and broadcast as Radio Caroline North.[1] Following the consolidation between the two companies, Caroline weighed anchor and sailed from Felixstowe en route to the Isle of Man, broadcasting as she went. The only broadcast staff on board were Tom Lodge and Jerry Leighton.
Caroline took up station at her new anchorage situated on the southern tip of the Bahama Bank, Ramsey Bay, on 6 July 1964, at a position formerly occupied by the Bahama Bank Lightship. In these strategic locations the two Caroline stations were now able to cover most of the British Isles.[1] Caroline served as a radio ship until 1968, until she was impounded on the Bahama Bank as a consequence of monies owed in the region of £70,000.[4] Her anchor chain was cut and she was taken under tow by the Dutch tug Titan. Caroline was brought to Amsterdam where she was laid up until being sold for scrap at auction in May 1972.[4]
The scrapping of the vessel took a number of years and was not fully completed until 1980.[1] However, the original ship's bell from Fredericia was saved, being on display for many years at the Viking Longhouse, Peel, Isle of Man. Although the ship's bell remains in private ownership, it was displayed at the Radio Caroline 60th Anniversary Lecture at the Mitre Hotel, Ramsey, Isle of Man, in August 2024.[5]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Haworth, R.B. "Fredericia". Mirimar. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
693 tons, registered in Kolding, renamed Caroline in 1964
- ^ "Fredericia Caroline History". www.offshoreradiomuseum.co.uk.
- ^ a b Midgley, Dominic (22 March 2014). "Pirate that ruled the airwaves: Radio Caroline was the boat that rocked the music business". The Express. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
- ^ a b "Caroline in the Sixties Part Nine: Towed away, March 1968". The Pirate Radio Hall of Fame. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ Brahde, Rebecca (2 August 2024). "Island's link to pirate radio ship celebrated". BBC News. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
Sources
edit- Clark, Ray (2014). Radio Caroline: The True Story of the Boat That Rocked. History Press. ISBN 9780752498874.
- Harris, Paul (1977). Broadcasting From The High Seas. Paul Harris Publishing Edinburgh. ISBN 0-904505-07-3.
- Wint, Andy (2008). Manx Giant From The Wonderful Isle of Man: The Story of Radio Caroline North 1964 - 1968. Chesterfield Publications. ISBN 978-0-9560139-0-3.