Until 1964 the Freyer was owned by Isbjorninn, an Icelandic fishing company when she was sold to Ross Trawlers Ltd and re-named Ross Revenge. From 1979 to 1981 she served as a diving support ship in the North Sea. She was then taken to the Cairnryan breakers' yard in Rosyth, Wigtownshire, Dumfries and Galloway on the west coast of Scotland to be scrapped.

The Radio Caroline organisation identified the ship as a suitable replacement for their ship Mi Amigo which had sunk in March 1980. The Ross Revenge was purchased by a company registered in Liechtenstein - Seamore  - and registered in Panama to the Grothan Steamship Lines Inc. (Both companies were a ‘front’ for the Radio Caroline organisation).

In April 1981 the Ross Revenge was towed by the Spanish tug Aznar Jose Luis from the Cairnryan breakers yard. She arrived in Solares, near Santander, Spain five days later. In autumn 1981, work began to convert the Ross Revenge into a radio ship - a job which took nearly two years to complete.

In service as Freyer during the early 1960’s

Above and left: the Ross Revenge during conversion into a radio ship in Santander, Spain 1982/83

After the Ross Revenge ran aground on the Goodwin Sands in November 1991 she was salvaged (one of only a handful of ships to survive running aground on the Goodwin Sands) and towed into Dover harbour, where she was detained as being un-seaworthy. Since then although she has been moved a number of times, she remained under a restriction order preventing her going out to sea.

• By October 1993 sufficient repair work had been carried out by volunteers and harbour dues paid  so that the Ross Revenge could be moved to an anchorage in the River Blackwater, near Bradwell, Essex.
• In August 1995 the Ross Revenge was towed to a position off Clacton on Sea, Essex where she was used to broadcast a month long Restricted Service Licence (RSL) service for Radio Caroline.
• After broadcasts had finished the Ross Revenge was moved first to a position off Southend on Sea, Essex and then moored at the end of Southend Pier during September 1995.
• In late September 1995 the Ross Revenge was towed from Southend to West India Docks, London, where she acted as a base for another RSL broadcast by Radio Caroline.
• In February 1996 (just days before an IRA bomb exploded in the Docklands building next to where she had been moored) the Ross Revenge was taken to Chatham, Kent where she was dry docked, cleaned and painted.
• In August 1997 the Ross Revenge was moved to Queensborough on the Isle of Sheppy where she remained until June 1999 when she was towed again to be moored off Southend Pier for another RSL broadcast.
• When that broadcast ended the Ross Revenge was towed to the River Medway in Kent. On 24th December 1999 she broke from her mooring in the Medway and ran aground on a sandbank. Two tugs managed to pull the Ross Revenge clear of the sandbank and towed her into Sheerness Harbour.
• In January 2000 the Ross Revenge was moved back to moorings in Queensborough where she remained until July 2003 when she was moved to a mooring  on the River Medway at Strood/Rochester, just downstream from Rochester Bridge.
• On July 30th 2004, the ship was towed to the Port of Tilbury in Essex where  she was refurbished and re-fitted by a team of volunteers.
• July 31st/August 1st 2014 the Ross Revenge was towed from Tilbury to new moorings in the River Blackwater, near Bradwell on Sea.
• She is used for occasional broadcasts of programmes for Radio Caroline’s main service as well as Radio Caroline North transmissions (via Manx Radio and the Internet) for one weekend every month.
• On June 1st 2017 the Ross Revenge was added to the UK National Register of Historic Vessels, recognising her significance first in the fishing industry and later as an offshore radio broadcasting vessel. You can view the Register entry at - http://www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk/register/3487/ross-revenge

Top left: Ross Revenge in December 1987, shortly after the 300’ aerial mast had collapsed

Top right: on the Goodwin Sands, November 1991

Left: in Dover Harbour shortly before being moved to the River Blackwater, 1993

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Thanks to Martin van der Ven for allowing us to use some additional information from the Broadcasting Fleet section of the Offshore Radio Guide  in this Gallery

Ships - The Main Fleet

Click here for more pictures of Ross Revenge as a fishing trawler