It’s probably time we moved on but I recall where I was and what I was doing - a school day and thinking something was afoot, Ilistened to and recorded the final hour. (Can’t quite explain why it’s running fast).
Years later when I interviewed him PM told me, to the effect that he was listening in to that last hour whilst repairing a bilge pump, dismantled on the kitchen table. To no avail of course. My eldest has mopped up and periodically trots out that anecdote.
Hats off to those who brought it back in ‘83, making careers for some and an unforgettable time for me and others.
They told me (later) at work, I had been walking about as ifa member of my family had passed away.
I clearly remember getting home that night around 1145 and switching the radio on as I went to bed. I heard Steve and Tom do the announcement and thought oh! However Caroline being Caroline and remembering events from a year before, I was expecting it to be back in the morning. Of course it wasn’t.
I was travelling to Edinburgh with work the following day and didnt think much about it. That evening I phoned my mate Ken and said I heard a strange announcement on Caroline last night. That’s when I found out! “It’s f**kin sunk” or words to that effect put me in the picture. I then had to have a few pints to let it sink in!
Yes, the sad anniversary of the sinking of the ship that served Radio Caroline from it's start in 1964 - the Mi Amigo, has come around again.
I just remember the weather being very bleak & cold that year. Here is the final hour - restored by Ray Robinson & AZanorak:
https://pixeldrain.com/u/NVFFYrD2
And the unrestored, last 20 mins or so:
https://pixeldrain.com/u/Yh4uVJYg
Our deepest thanks should go to the Sheerness lifeboat crew, who in dreadful weather that night, saved the lives of: Stevie Gorden, Tom Anderson, Nick Richards, Hans Verlaan. (& Wilson the Canary )
The lifeboat did not return to Shore immediately, but stood by - Caroline's crew had left pumps running & there was a hope that they might stop the ship sinking, but very soon - the lights went out - they knew water had stopped the Generator working, they then headed for land.
The Mi Amigo's 160-foot (49 m) mast remained defiantly erect for a further six years.
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