SAS Interference July 2024

As you might have realised I have struggled to do a 60th anniversary newsletter for Caroline. And I thought I was approaching it in the wrong way so I thought this should be about our SAS crews memories of the station as a listener/supporter or if you had a more direct memory.

So I will kick this off - I first tuned in May 1973 where I found the station testing on 259 and 389 identifying as Caroline 1 and 2. This was using a Bush Radio which had the old 208 Button on it which I borrowed from my sister.  Reception of 389 was poor but just about listenable and 259 was somewhat better.

23 February 1974 – I was down bedridden with the Flu and unable to go to school. I listened into the closure of Radio MI Amigo for the day and was expecting Radio Seagull. Instead, I got Big Ben chimes and explosion and Caroline by the Fortunes, plus Man’s Fight for Freedom by Johnnie Walker. Caroline had returned. Wish I had a radio cassette then.

And then there is the CM Christmas meet at Leytonstone Christmas 1985. At the end of the meet I was with some others awaiting for Ken James to bring his car around when a van pulled up and some large glass valves (for the 50kW transmitter) were loaded up. An Amercian voice I think it was Charlie Wolf shouted out something like "Hey You Guys! They're loading up illiegal transmitter parts" into the night. Sadly this is the closest I got to being on the Ross and near a transmitter. I believe Carolne used US made valves when they could which would last 18 months or so. Sometimes they had ones made in Eastern Europe which were a lot cheaper and would not last as long.

On the memories page of our website SB took us on a summer trip to 'The Lady' in the Knock Deep. SB had some really excellent photographs which he wished all of us to enjoy and go back to the days of transmissions on 576 and 963 kHz in 1985.

To quote SB “We visited in the summer some-time - I returned to work with a very red face which was commented on at work. I heard about the trips by listening to "ads" on South East Sound (Ed: an AM rock music pirate from South London) and then contacted John Burch, the great organiser! Everybody on board was so nice - it was a wonderful day, especially with a calm sea. We also passed by the Communicator, but could not go on board. SB adds that when he went back to work on the Monday he had a very red face people thought he had been sunbathing. No I went on a trip to the Northasea.

Graham P at our meets was involved in the late 70s re tendering and sometimes being on the ship. He pointed out that the corrosion was worse at the Mi Amigo’s waterline and that this was the most difficult area to try and effect repairs. He ran or was manager for a garage and got stuck onboard in the 80s and needed to get back on the Monday morning to open it up. Once on a return trip he was stopped and interviewed.  Graham feigned ignorance saying he went out to see the ship.

He also told me that when LPs were delivered to the ship that they sometimes would get two copies of them due to wear as they would be played often.

Tony L tried to put down some memories. His involement was in the offair days in 1990 and 1991. He confirmed that he did see the dents in the Water tank. He says whilst in Dover he was tasked with cleaning them out. Mike Craig was already aware of the damage however there was a lot of distortion to the baffles. In the tank and to the Hull of the Ross. The speculation was that the Ross had laid on her Anchor Chain and bouncing up and down had done the damage.

Then there was the fun trip out in the Zodiac in February 91 with one outboard that we had to try and launch in the middle of the night from St Margaret’s Bay and we failed. We were being watched and the Coastguard swooped down upon us. They didn’t believe our cover story as to what we were doing. They knew exactly what we were up to. They told us that the next night would be suitable to launch from the bay and they said they would stay clear. They asked us to play them a record when we got back on air lol.  The next night we made it to the ship with the outboard cutting out twice. The guys on board had spent the day getting the generator started. So we arrived to full lighting. The rest of the time we had a small 500 watt petrol generator and a few lights around the Ross. It was so cold we had ice in the water containers.

He also remembers another classic Ross Story. "When we were out on the North Sea. I was asked to clean the freezers l had wiped out a load with bleach. Then l found the one with organic green slime. It even had rotting fish in the chest Freezer. One of the worst jobs l have ever undertaken."

Looking  back I have a memory from Roger Day.  On July 27th 2014 I attended "an Evening with Roger Day" and have extracted this from our August 2014 newsletter. Towards the end (Ed of the event) I asked about his show on Caroline 389 in June 1973 which he had not touched upon before. Roger answered that this was a taped show and had the generator not broken down others would have followed and Roger would have eventually returned to the ship. June 73 is part of the great “What might have been” had Caroline had more money and the MV Mi Amigo in good condition.