In 1964 in Britain all there was to listen to was the BBC – light –

home – third programmes, of which were not at all entertaining to the

teenagers of that time, the only programme came from outside the

UK, Radio Luxembourg of which was in English during the evening

times only.

Inspired in this lack of music Ronan O’Rahilly looked for other outlets

and came to a dead end of sorts, so Ronan looked else were, on the

other side of the Northsea was a ship broadcasting to Holland, and

this is what gave Ronan in starting his own radio station.

A former ferry boat was purchased and fitted out in Southern Ireland,

also at the same time there about a former coaster had braved the

Atlantic and was to start to be refitted out in the same port as Radio

Stations.

How ever Ronan’s ship now re named MV Caroline set sail for the

east coast of Easter week and anchored in force 8 gale on Good

Friday and tests started straight away.

On Easter Saturday at midday Radio Caroline started broadcasting

to the British Isles "This is Radio Caroline on 199 mtrs -

Caroline was born".

On May the 9^th Caroline was joined by Crawford’s ship the Mi

Amigo, and in June of that year the Caroline organisation announced

a merger were by the MV Caroline would sail around to the North of

England and become known as Caroline North and the Mi Amigo

would become known as Radio Caroline South.

In 1965 and 1966 other stations started to appear around the British

Isles and in total there were around eleven, one of these was an all

American station with some British DJ’s Roger Day and Johnnie

Walker, who six months later went to the Caroline South ship, this

American station had two stations on board Radio England and

Britain Radio.

This station was well ahead of its time for the UK audience who

were not really into knock them over the head type format, this

station had a few names, even a Dutch one to try and get listeners.

By this time the Government were taking steps to outlaw these Pirate

Stations, as they became known.

During 1966 around January there were some heavy storms and the

Mi Amigo home of Radio Caroline started drifting in storm force

winds, also Radio London dragged her anchor about this time.

The Mi Amigo was hauled off and towed to Holland for a refit and

new 50kw transmitter, both Carline and London both had a share of

audience of around 8million listeners.

In 1967 the Government was to pass the marine offences act making it

illegal for a British subject to work on a offshore Station, this was

to be come law in August of this year and would take effect as from

15-8-67.

Radio Caroline stated that they would continue to broadcast after

the bill and get supplies from Holland, the big day arrived and with

some of the smaller stations already closed down, at 3pm on the

14^th August Radio London said good bye to its massive audience,

at midnight on the 15^th August Radio Caroline DJ Johnnie Walker

announced that Radio Caroline would continue broadcasting. While

some of the ex DJ’s were taken on by the BBC, Caroline continued

regardless.

1968 was not in Caroline favour and tender ships fought there

way through horrendous weather conditions to supply the two

Caroline ships and when things were just settling down a bit after the

winter storms, the two Caroline ships were boarded on 3^rd March 68

and towed to Holland, there were attempt to bring Caroline back

from one of the former pirate ships. One was the former Radio 270

vessel and the other was from the former Radio London ship but

the papers got wind of this, hence it never came about.

The two ships were to spend the next four years tied up in Holland

Now that Radio Caroline had been towed away, listeners to the

station were wondering how long and if it would return, at the time

of its being towed away I was in bed listening and around 0530 all

went silent, some days later and rumours of its return came to nothing

I tuned in to Radio Veronica and some weeks later, one of the

former Caroline DJ’s Robbie Dale had a evening show, but reception

after dark was not all that good. However in late January of 1970 I

picked up a station broadcasting in German and English, this was

of course Radio Northsea International, the rest of this story can be

found in the RNI story.

This new Offshore Station had dropped anchor of the British coast

in late February of 1970, with former Radio Caroline DJ’s, at

that time I was living 40-miles the other side of London in

Buckingshire at a place called High Wycombe, in May of that

year the British Government was jamming the station, it was

not so bad were I was, but there was a general Election due in

June of that year, and also in that month the station changed its

name to Radio Caroline, and there was talk in the music papers of

a big rally in London, well I was not going to miss out on that, as

there was some sort of Rally at a place in Rochester never heard of

the place until years later, anyhow I went to London prior to this rally

armed with cassette tapes as the jamming signal was at its worse

there and stayed with a friend and did some recordings and then

went home and edited these tapes so we ended up with two or three.

The big day arrived at it was a hot one and a friend of mine we did

his Car out with "fight for Free Radio Stickers plastered over it" and

on the bonnet a big poster of the then prime Minster (Howard

Wilson dressed up as chairman Moe) stuck two speakers on the

roof of the car and drove to London with the sound of Radio

Caroline/RNI Jamming signal blasting out up the motorway

and into London, the only thing was that we had to have the windows

shut due to what was coming out of the speakers, even went down the

mall to Hyde park. And also there was a Radio Caroline double

Decker bus doing the rounds as well, At Hyde park there was this

bus and former Caroline DJ Simon Dee and of course Ronan plus

thousands of supporters, a great day had by all, but the jamming did

not stop under a new Government and hence RNI went back to

Holland and the jamming stopped.

In the summer of 1971 I went was what was going to be a short

holiday to Holland, but turned out to be a fairly long stay, but had to

go back to the UK once a month as I was on medication and back

again, got a job later doing some disco work as I needed money to

stay over there, but while I was there had a great time, like going to

the studio’s of Radio Veronica and also RNI which was at a place

not far from Amsterdam called Bussum, there buildings looked liked

a big farm house type thing with a water fall in the centre and the

Studio’s were big compared to Veronica’s one’s which were small

but compact.

But I did go back to the UK for the winter of that year, its not much

fun at any seaside place in the winter months.

But I was back again the following year as I heard a rumour floating

around in the music papers that the two Caroline ships were due to be

auctioned off.

I was back some time between the spring and early summer of that

year to find out more about this auction etc.

The only thing I knew of the auction even though I was near by but

not at the event was that the MV Caroline went for scrap, but the Mi

Amigo was bought by some Dutch Free radio guys for not a lot

of Guilders, cannot remember how much and the plan was to set it

up as an offshore museum, the person who put up the most was also a

DJ he was called Gerald van dam that was his name, but if I have got

his name correct is a different matter, anyway not to worry, and I got

to know this guy, if I wanted to find out more as regards the Mi

Amigo and its real purpose.

This was to sort of be come apparent in the coming weeks etc to

come. In the meantime there was a boat going out full of fans to see

both Veronica and Northsea, so I also went for the ride the first stop

was Veronica and since most of the fans were Dutch could not really

keep up with what they were saying, the next stop was RNI, I must say

at this point that know one was aloud on board the ships, then back to

the harbour.

I went back to my pension place for dinner (bed & breakfast / dinner)

Mean while things were taken shape as regards the Mi Amigo it

was being cleaned up and painted, the Dutch Authorities still thought

that she was going back to England. Then former Caroline DJ’s

appeared on the scene as did Silver Fox, I found out were the

Caroline DJ’s were staying and booked myself in there, as some

things were going to happen soon.

It was around September time and the Mi Amigo had slipped her

moorings early that morning and later she had anchored

between Radio Veronica and Northsea, later I caught up with

Gerald van Dam, and I had mentioned to him that I was part of

the Free Radio Association in England and covering events and

he agreed to give me an interview as regards the Mi Amigo.

The Interview: --------

End of Interview: ……..

Although with the interview word for word by Gerard van Dam it

has jumped from the Mi Amigo as first leaving for the high

seas and test transmitting, get till the end of the year, so I will

just cover briefly the events in between as regarding Radio Caroline.

Test transmissions started in late September under the name as Radio

199, these tests lasted for some months and it was not until around

December 1972 that full programmes started on 259mtrs as Radio

Caroline, over the Christmas period there was a link up between

Caroline and RNI and one needed two receivers to listen in,

conditions on Caroline were not all that good as the generator

kept breaking down compared to Northsea of which was more

like a floating hotel then a radio station.

Meanwhile back on land a Office had been opened up for the

Caroline Guys, and they were still staying at the same place as

before as well as I, Andy Archer got on well with the boy who was

only in his early teens around fourteen fifteen years, I will not go

into any further things as regarding things like that the reader can

make his own mind up, a lot of things happened while my stay at

that place, at one point one of the DJ’s could not get hold of

Ronan for some reason but I did have his Fathers phone number

so hence I gave it a ring and got the guy out of a board meeting

this I was not to know until Ronan turned up the next day asking

who phoned his father and he was not all pleased about it, but me

being me said it was me got a ear bender from Ronan, but all was

sorted out and he joined us in a drink, we may have also had a meal

but that bit is a bit vague, even though there was plenty of food.

Around early April of 1973 all three stations were hit by storms

of the Dutch coast RNI closed down as massive waves came over the

ship, Radio Caroline also lost her mast for the second time since

coming back on air and Radio Veronica dragged her anchors and

was washed up on the beach, It was decided that Veronica was to

use the Mi Amigo until her own ship was back at sea, this was in

Caroline’s favour as this gave her much needed funds for a new mast

and other things.

In June/July of the same year, a group called Radio Atlantis

sought airtime, during her time with Caroline there was the odd

breakdown and also at this time Caroline became known as Radio

Seagull. It was near the end of the year when more storms hit the

coast, hence the mast given way again. Around end of 1973 and the

early 74 that a new station appeared called Radio Mi Amigo taking

the name of the Caroline ship, this time a super super strong mast

It was also at this time that Caroline reverted back to her original

name.

In the Summer of that year the Dutch Government passed a law

outlawing broadcasts from Radio Ships at that time there were Radio

Veronica, Radio Atlantis, Radio Northsea and off course Radio

Caroline/ Radio-Mi Amigo.

The law came into affect as from the 1^st September 1974, Radio

Caroline upped anchor and sailed to England on the 29^th of August,

on the 30^th the English service of RNI closed at midnight on the

following day Veronica closed at 6pm followed by Atlantis at 7pm

and Dutch RNI at 8pm.

At 12 midnight that evening Radio Caroline continued as she had

done back in 1967.

All seem to be going well for the two stations with Radio Mi Amigo

broadcasting by day and Caroline throughout the evening and night,

although the Government were spending cash on Caroline’s tender

movements. However during a storm during the winter of 75/76 she

broke her anchors and drifted into territorial waters, the station

manage to get back out and started broadcasting again, but she

was unaware that she was still half mile with in territorial waters

as her ships sea maps were out of date and later was boarded

by British Customs and Police which closed her down, this made

headline news on Radio Luxembourg that evening, but before

the British Government could officially get there hands on the

station Caroline was towed back out into international waters.

This event took place at Heathrow’s Centre Airport Hotel over the

weekend of 14/15^th August of 1977 marking ten years since the

passing of 1967 MOA Act, of which was attended by former DJ’s

of the varies stations including the Silver Fox.

At that time I was living in Maidstone in Kent and I hitched up to

the event, apart from a Disco in the evening there were varies talks

by former DJ’s of the past and present and also I think there was a

Auction as well, even to this day that event was one of the biggest

ever I have been to, for some with lots of cash there was overnight

stay, so I left around 3am the following morning and managed to get

a lift back to Maidstone, later that evening of which was a Sunday on

board the Mi Amigo the Dutch and English Dj’s had there own

party with excerpts from the convention played over the air to

isteners that could not make the event, even to this day there are

some listeners thought the whole programme was live from the place,

but in fact at the convention part of it was recorded and taken out to

the ship at first light so it could be slotted in to there programme that

evening all very clever stuff, as I still have that recording which was

aired that evening.

During the winter of 1978 the Radio Station nearly sank and also this

made the papers as well, as the pumps on board could not cope with

the water and the coast guards were called out to take off most of

the crew, later that morning a spare pump was put on board, and

also around this time Radio Mi Amigo and Caroline parted company,

the station was off the air for a few months and many listeners had

thought that this was the end for Radio Caroline but it was not to be.

The return of Radio Caroline on Easter Sunday with TonyAlan

opening up the Station, Caroline ran her own Dutch service during

the day and English during the nights as before, also during the

summer months there was boat trips running out to the station, the

first lot was organised by Albert Hood and his wife, as it was Albert

that helped saved the Mi Amigo along with Peter Chicago and few

other DJ’s.

I made around three trips out during that summer and enjoyed

myself with taking a host of pictures inside as well as outside, it was

one of those barmy summers with calm waters even that far out, the

thing was that on our last or my trip out in September of that year,

we were all ready making arrangements for the following year, but

this was not to be.

Radio Caroline continued to broadcast her L.A. and Dutch

programmes during the day and Caroline roadshows around the

outhern part of the Country, so if one wanted to have a horse voice

they were the places to go. 1979 went and Caroline rang in 1980. In

March 19^th of that year force 10 storms were playing havoc once

again and during the evening the station was putting out continues

music only, it was not until near midnight that I heard that Caroline

had put out a distress call’s as she was taken on water at alarming

rate, in fact while continues music was being played the DJ’s on

board were frantic trying to keep the Mi Amigo afloat with what

ever means they could and also they had been in touch with

coastguards that evening.

The coastguards were alerted and the Sheerness lifeboat was launch

to help the stranded vessel, the lifeboat battling through violent seas

and high winds all the time they were in contact with the

northforland station who was in turn in contact with the Mi Amigo,

the lifeboat reached the stricken vessel at around 11.20pm and

with the seas smashing against both vessels it took around 30 to

45minutes to take off the three DJ’s and Wilson-2 (the bird), but not

before they told the listeners of there plight with Tom Anderson saying

"This is not the end of Caroline we will be back one way or the

other" the Caroline theme was played while the DJ’s made attempts

to board the safety of the lifeboat and around two minutes past

midnight of the 20^th Caroline went silent, the Mi Amigo was

beginning to sink, nothing could save her this time, she came to

rest on a sandbank with just the aerial and some of the superstructure

above the waves.

To listeners on shore this was the end of Radio Caroline but was it.