Few people will be able to remember how, a year after Radio Caroline was founded in 1964, people talked and wrote about the station and more.
Hans Knot delved into the archives to compile an anthology, including rumours around the Dutch offshore project Veronica.
On Thursday, first of April 1965, the newspapers of the Gemeenschappelijke Persdienst (Joint Press Service), including many regionally focused ones, reported on the first anniversary of Radio Caroline. The broadcasts from the MV Fredericia, anchored in international waters off the Isle of Man, were particularly highlighted. When you read such an article more than six decades later and think you have followed the history of the legendary radio station closely, you are surprised to discover a number of new facts.
The crew was therefore under the leadership of Captain G. Kooger, a name that was previously unknown to me. Searching through various registers reveals that in 1957 he was employed as a captain by the NV Koninklijke Pakketvaart Maatschappij (Royal Parcel Shipping Company). This company mainly provided connections between the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies and later Indonesia. The KPM had a fleet of 38 ships, with a combined tonnage of 205,766 GRT. In 1966, due to a merger, it ceased to exist as an independent company. Captain Kooger probably made an earlier switch to the Wijsmuller company in Baarn.
Further information revealed that earlier in 1965, he had been appointed by Wijsmuller as one of the temporary successors to Captain W. Buninga as master of the MV Fredericia. Captain Ko Walters was the other deputy master. Incidentally, when Captain Buninga left for Radio London, the crew of the Caroline North broadcasting ship presented him with a commemorative plaque bearing the coat of arms of the Isle of Man, which his son Ron Bunninga gave to me for the offshore radio collection about twenty years ago.
Apparently, the correspondent had talked further with Kooger about possible problems, because he reported: ‘If food supplies from England were to be stopped, one could always turn to Ireland and Spain, which have not signed the convention. Supplies by air are also a possibility. As long as it has not been proven that Caroline is endangering human lives by using ship wavelengths, there is little chance that the British Parliament will take action.’ He did refer to the two occasions on which Caroline had accidentally used the wrong frequencies, but the organisation had given assurances that such incidents would not happen again.
The correspondent’s next step was a trip to the Isle of Man and a visit to the port of Ramsey. He noted that the population of the port town was enjoying the adventure of the Caroline boys, who were very popular among the inhabitants: ‘Thanks to the entertainment they provide, the local hotel has never had such a good winter. When the deejays visit Ramsey every fortnight for their relief, the bars and cafés are full of teenagers hunting for autographs. Everyone in Ramsey sympathises with Caroline, especially when the weather is rough and people tune in to the station to hear if everything is all right on board.
Regarding the supplies for the MV Fredericia, which the correspondent described as a former steamship, he reported that supplies were delivered twice a week from Ramsey by the ship “Essex Girl” and, because the broadcasting ship was in international waters, the island’s customs authorities did their duty strictly before the crew of the Essex Girl were given permission to sail, which was no different on their return. At that time, it had become known that the Panamanian government had decided to revoke the registration of the flag, which could cause difficulties for the Fredericia as a so-called flagless ship. But Captain Kooger had made it clear to him not to worry, as he was in possession of a sealed package that could only be opened in case of emergency. This, of course, referred to another flag and registration, which covered the crew of the Fredericia.
There was a clear difference between the leave periods of the radio operators on board and those of the crew members. Every fortnight, the radio operators were relieved, while the crew members stayed away from home for up to six weeks: ‘Life on board is excellent and everyone gets along very well. There is plenty of work and enough time to go fishing. Everyone gets two cans of beer a day. No one suffers from seasickness; that is only a problem during the trips to and from the broadcasting ship.
The correspondent concluded by saying that the crew on the floating radio station derived a great deal of satisfaction from their work, partly because they felt they were fulfilling a need to have a strong personal bond with their listeners.
In the meantime Dutch newspapers came three years earlier with a few announcements about an expected change of radio ship for Radio Veronica, which was active since April 1960 transmitting from the Borkum Riff. In these articles it was mentioned that using their radio ship it became too expensive. And so we could read: ‘The ship Veronica is disappearing from the North Sea. The operation of this fifty-year-old lightship is too expensive for the management of the commercial radio station “Veronica”. The broadcasts of this radio station are made from the ship, which, as is well known, is anchored off Scheveningen outside Dutch territorial waters.
However, the disappearance of the ship Veronica does not mean that the broadcasts of Radio Veronica will be discontinued. The operators of the independent station have purchased another old ship: the thirty-year-old trawler ‘Michiel’ Hd. 108 from the shipping company Brothers. Slot in Den Helder. This ship had already been decommissioned for fishing and was destined for the scrapyard. It is currently at a shipyard in Harlingen, where it will be converted into a radio station.
At the time, the operators of the radio station encountered great difficulties in equipping the Veronica with transmitting parts. On several occasions, parts of the transmitter were confiscated. Radio Veronica broadcasts near the so-called fishing band, which is also used to broadcast distress messages about ships and aircraft in distress.’
‘A large number of students crowded into the wheelhouse and on the decks of the coastal vessel Superior Trader, moored in Scheveningen’s inner harbour, this morning. The students, who were participating in the 25th conference of the Organisation of Natural Philosophy and Technology Faculties in the Netherlands, thought they were going on an excursion to Radio Veronica, were disappointed.
Serious doubts arose when two very old-fashioned dressed customs officers appeared on board the vessel. When they had set up a checkpoint that even laymen would find strange, Radio Veronica’s broadcast was suddenly interrupted for an announcement to the students on board the coastal vessel. To great hilarity, the voice of the chairman of the conference committee, Mr. Schutte, rang out.
He asked how the students could have been so foolish as to believe that, in addition to excursions in the Netherlands, there would also be one abroad. To their relief, he then announced that the students would be allowed to continue their journey. As consolation, he invited the victims of the fake excursion to the boulevard for a cup of coffee and to watch Radio Veronica through the telescope. The students were delighted with this consolation and enjoyed the coffee and telescope.
The next day Nieuwsblad van het Noorden reported: “The entire excursion to the radio ship is just a hoax,” said Mr. Schutte, chairman of the conference committee, which is organising the twenty-fifth conference of students at natural philosophy faculties in the Netherlands.
On the occasion of this congress, which were held in Leiden from 5 to 8 April, various excursions to domestic sights were organised. However, the congress committee reserved the right to insert a fake excursion among all these genuine outings. So when the more than eighty chosen ones wanted to board the Superior Trader, two (student) customs officers promptly objected to this planned extraterritorial trip.
The message that Radio Veronica then broadcast gave the now doubting students the explanation for making these objections. It was added that those who still had an irrepressible desire to see the ship should go to the Scheveningen boulevard, where a telescope aimed at Veronica had been set up. A cup of hot coffee completely reconciled the students who had boarded the boat with this rather cold adventure.’
The name of the ship that might be used rang a bell. In addition to radio, there has also been a great deal of interest in coasters for decades, with an emphasis on ships built in the province of Groningen. Regional Newspaper Nieuwsblad van het Noorden publish on November 29th 1960; ‘Launching of m.s. SUPERIOR TRADER. At the Noord Nederlandse Scheepswerven shipyard on the Winschoterdiep in Groningen, the new motor coastal vessel Superior Trader, built on behalf of the Netherlands, was successfully launched. The Superior Trader is a flat-deck vessel, weighs 360 tonnes and has the following dimensions: length overall 46 m, length between perpendiculars 42 m, width 7.30 m and draught 3.07 m. Propulsion will be provided by a 399 hp engine. Construction is being supervised by Bureau Veritas and the Shipping Inspectorate for Atlantic shipping. The keel for a 900-tonne motor tanker, built for the Dutch market, will be laid on the vacant slipway. This ship will be equipped with a 1,000 hp engine.
Hans Knot September 2025