The Radio Revolution
Created | Updated Oct 25, 2005
1964 Forty years ago an event occured that  The BeginningAlthough the station traditionally celebrates at Easter, it is 27 March 2004 that marks the 40th Anniversary of the first transmission from Radio Caroline. A radio station broadcasting from a ship must have seemed an odd idea but, inspired by Holland's Radio Veronica Ronan O'Railly had a dream. The first ship in the North Sea, three and a half miles from Felixstowe, was the m.v.Frederica. On 27 April 1964 she was joined by the m.v. Mi Amigo which, at first, was a rival station Radio Atlanta. After a few weeks the two stations merged. The Frederica sailed around the coast into the Irish Sea to become Caroline North. The Mi Amigo stayed in the North Sea as Caroline South. In November 1964 she was joined in the North Sea by a major  1967 - Radio 1 and OthersOn 30 September 1967 the BBC started Radio 1 employing a number of DJs from the ships. The first legal local Commercial Radio started on 13 October1973. The first National Commercial station, Classic FM started in September1992.  Where are they now? Well - known DJs from Radio London who are still at the BBC are John Peel, senior DJ on Radio 1, and Ed Stewart, on Sundays on Radio 2. Broadcasting from ships did continue at various times throughout the 1970s. Off the Dutch coast Radio Northsea International broadcast from the m.v. Mebo 2, and Caroline continued on the Mi Amigo until she sank in the Thames estuary on 20 March 1980. Rado Caroline herself is still broadcasting,legally now, on Sky.Also on Worldspace digital and on the Internet. Still 'Keeping the dream alive' as it says in the song which became Caroline's theme tune in the 1970s. The pictures here are from the h2g2 picture library. For pictures and information on the actual ships visit The Broadcasting Fleet. For pictures of many of the DJs who worked on them, plus much more information, visit The Pirate Radio Hall of Fame. |
