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Offshore 1990+

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Caroline 1990+ Offshore 1990+ Essex 1997
Radio London 1997 Radio England 1999 Essex 1999
RNI 1999 Caroline 1999 Radio London 2001
Mi Amigo 2002 Pirate BBC Essex 2007  

Quite an impressive endeavour to keep Caroline alive when you look back across the list. However, the management have been accused by some of abandoning its ideals of free radio and Loving Awareness by paying the RSL licence fees which may allegedly have then funded Radiocommunications Agency raids on current pirate radio stations. Caroline has not been the only organisation to arrange broadcasting events with an offshore flavour. Here is a list of all the others through the same period of which I am aware:

13 August – 9 Sept. 1992 Offshore 1584 RSL, MV Galexy, 1� miles off Walton and via EuroNet on Astra
18 July – 14 August 1997 Radio London RSL from MV Yeomen Rose, 1 mile off Frinton on 1134 kHz MW
4 – 31 July 1998 Radio London (Big L) RSL in Harlow on 87.7 FM
19 Dec 1998 – 8 Jan 1999 Radio Atlantis RSL from Ross Revenge, off Sheerness on 1503 MW
2 – 4 April 1999 Offshore 98, MV Morning Star (North Sea?), 279 LW, 1566 MW and 6211 SW
18 July – 14 August 1999 Radio England RSL, in Cheshunt, Herts on 1566 MW
3 – 31 August 1999 Radio Northsea International RSL, LV18/Mebo 3, off Holland-on-Sea, 1575 MW
21 – 31 August 1999 Radio Veronica, off Holland on 1224 MW
11 April – 8 May 2000 Radio Northsea International RSL, LV18/Mebo 3, Harwich Harbour, 1575 // Internet
1 – 28 August 2000 Radio London (Big L) RSL from caravan on Clacton Pier, on 1143 kHz MW
31 March – 27 April 2001 Radio Mi Amigo RSL, LV18/Mebo 3 by the Railway Pier, Harwich, 1503 kHz MW
3 – 30 June 2001 Radio Northsea International RSL from LV18 / Mebo 3, Harwich on 1503 kHz MW
4 – 31 August 2001 Radio London RSL from Clacton-on-Sea on 1134 kHz MW

Such was the demand from listeners, whether it be backlash or nostalgia, and the accompanying enthusiasm of broadcasters and sponsors, that the 1990s, especially the last three years, saw this remarkable revival of offshore pirate broadcasting to the English mainland. Except, that these projects were not pirates as such, broadcasting with Radio Authority licences from within UK territorial waters – or even closer to home than that!

Offshore 1584

Radio Caroline is the ‘odd man out’ (or should that be ‘odd Lady out’?!?) here, it being a current, ongoing, and hopefully future project as a ‘cutting-edge’ commercial music station. The others of course are quite the reverse, being nostalgia-based commemorations. The first such project was Offshore 1584, from the MV Galexy. This ship’s name was not incorrectly spelt; rather a tribute to its skipper – called Alex! Devised and organised by the Caroline Movement and Project Galaxy, a Restricted Service Licence was operated for 28 days from the vessel previously used to transport sightseeing anoraks out to catch a glimpse of the Ross Revenge, and the Lazer 558’s MV Communicator. An offshore convention took place in Walton-on-the-Naze within the broadcast dates.

Offshore 1584    Offshore 1584

  (Offshore 1584 photographs by Alan Beech - click on photos to visit Alan's website)

Essex 1997