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The Radio Tower Project - Part 2

Issue : 7 Updated : 20th November 2019

The full and true story of the ill fated Offshore project to launch a Pirate Television Channel and Radio station from the Sunk Head Fort

Part 2 of the 6 part feature : Tower Television

Sunk Head Fort in choppy seas

Welcome back to Sunk Head with the often choppy seas around the Fort

Radio Tower car sticker

The Radio Tower 236 Car Sticker produced in 1965

It's colour is accurately reproduced, measuring 46.1cm (18.25") x 75.cm (3") made of a polyethylene material it pre-dated the Britain Radio England sticker of the same type produced in 1966

Dave Simser & Bill Rollins Dave Simser

Dave Simser watches young Bill Rollins on radio test transmissions

Dave Simser wonders if anyone can hear us?

The Radio Tower Studio!

Supply boat circles fort 3

Friendly greetings from those on Sunk Head

Press report on Tower TV launch

Press report on planned start of Tower TV

Main photograph John Boulter on Camera and Dave Simser

Announcer Chris Gosling (Chris G) with the Sunk Head Fort right

Sunk Head Fort

Dave Simser, Chris Gosling and John Boulter


Audio

Still testing John Waters December 1965

Radio Tower on 236 metres with John Waters handing over to Graham London December 1965


With the project moving forward Eric Sullivan made contact with Robin Garton who ran Martello Studios from his families Martello Holiday Park at Walton-on-the Naze

Robin Garton (2004)

Robin was keen to promote semi-pro and amateur bands, he was to produced and host the Sounds Good Show a pilot was produced but the programme never aired

Robin gained the heady title of Advertising Manager, with his recording studio earmarked to make pre-recorded programmes and advertisements

Open reel of Radio Tower Jingles

Open reel tape master of Radio Tower Jingles (November 1965)

Robin an accomplished percussionist, produced the 'home spun' Radio Tower station jingles at his Martello Studios

Robin Garton performing

7" acetate  of Radio Tower Jingles

Acetate 7" record pressing

Press Report (Undated)

Pirate Radio being the story of the day: National and Local Press jumped on the Tower Tale

Dave Simser by 3.7" gun Tower TV test card by gun

Tower TV on the deck of the Sunk Head Fort with Dave Simser, Chris Gosling & John Boulter on Camera

With Derek Massen now running the operations side, not wishing to do anything illegal getting cold feet over the test transmissions he pulled out of the project

Dave Simser on camera by gun

Blowing a bit with Dave Simser holding onto his signature Big T 10 gallon hat with John Boulter on Camera

Meanwhile on-shore Peter Jeeves with salesman Bob Record sold advertising, said to include the News of the World Newspaper, Timex Watches and the 7th Day Evangelists

Locally advertisers included an Anglian turkey farm in Colchester, the Scotch Wool Shop and T.H.E. Estate Agents located in the same building as Radio Tower at 15 Trinity Street

Dave Simser holds his hat on! Chris Goslin holds test card

Dave Simser gets a grip on 236
Dave Simser, Chris Gosling, Bill Rollins (headphones) John Boulter on Camera

Tower Television the ultimate blag: TV transmissions were supposed to have begun on 9th November 1965 at a power of 10 watts, using equipment built by George Short with a home made antenna system 119'on top of the Fort

Chris Goslin holds test card close up John Waters

Dave Simser, Chris Gosling with John Boulter on Camera, Bill Rollins wearing headphones
John Waters with camera with the test card

A follow up report in the East Essex Gazette said that a blurred test card was seen by viewers on Channel 5 (VHF 405 lines) at Walton-on-the-Naze, the reports are unsubstantiated, most likely part of the publicity drive by Tower Television themselves

Daily mail 18th November 1965 Daily mail 18th November 1965

Daily Mail (18th November 1965) (Click for large images)

Dave Simser with test card inside fort

Tower Television John Boulter focusing on the test card held by Dave Simser

Dave had come to England from native Florida with the USAF, as DJ Dynamite Dave Simser he saw Tower as a way of converting the English to American Country Music

He'd been managing Clarke's Newmarket General Store which he renamed The Tower Trading Post

New York Daily News

New York Daily News (19th November 1965)

There's more detail on the actual Radio Tower transmitter in Part 5

Television was wishful thinking, with a very poor equipment the Tower project barely managed to produce a radio signal, other than the simple closed circuit camera and test card there was no television transmission equipment onboard

Guard John Boulter by a 3.7" gun

Fort Guard John Boulter by one of the big 3.7" guns

Originally Tower followed the example set by Radio Sutch, setting up a batch of batteries for broadcasting, recharged by a petrol generator when the station wasn't testing

But the idea made a cracking story just like Radio City and Caroline TV!

Sunk Head with tide dropping

The tide's turned

On 28th November, Eric Sullivan wishing for more reliable tendering, contacted Kees Romas of the Offshore Supply Company

A meeting was hurriedly set up in Holland with the Dutch parent Company Wijsmuller, for a fee of £150 per month their 'Offshore 1' would make two visits each month, already the 'Offshore 1' was tendering the Mi-Amigo (Radio Caroline) the Galaxy ( Radio London)

Drama struck the 'Offshore 1'on an unofficial trip to Sunk Head with the Tower Crew hidden beneath tarpaulins on a ret run service of Radio Caroline's 'Mi-Amigo' and Radio London's 'Galaxy'

Arriving at Sunk Head strong currents dragged 'Offshore 1' into the Fort. Wedged between the legs the vessels masts became entangled with the platform, with lumps of concrete raining down from the Fort superstructure, and the likelihood of being holed below the waterline from the remains of the submerged landing gantry, 'Offshore 1' skipper Kees Romas eventually powered free in the process snapped off his rear mast

Eric Sullivan 1966 Tower Press Shot

Press picture of Eric Sullivan

Steaming back to Holland, Kees was sacked by Wijsmuller, in turn Eric Sullivan declined paying Wijsmuller's extortionate tendering fee, made Kees the offer to come and work for Radio Tower

Jubilant crew on deck

A jubilant crew prepare to welcome visitors

A wage of £5 a day (£35 a week, £140 a month) was tabled and Kees started working for Radio Tower

Searching Holland for a suitable tender vessel he turned up the 69' iron built ex-Icelandic Trawler SS 'Maarje', taken through the waterways of Holland to Ijmuiden, she was rebuilt at a cost of 17,000 Guilders

Sailing back from Holland in thick fog the vessel berthed at Parkstone Quay, Harwich

Supply boat circles fort 1 Supply boat circles fort 2

Fooling about on the deck as the supply boat circles waiting for the swell to calm

Waving the tender off

Dave Simser waves his 10 gallon hat as the tender leaves

We continue to explore Sunk Head and find out what went wrong for the Television & Radio project on the Fort in Radio Tower - Part 3

Sunk Head

Sunk Head Tower Radio TV

Fantastic updates to your website, especially the Tower Radio series and the Sealand updates. I wish I had known about the"Three Forts Special" Boat Trip sooner as it really is the ideal one for me & I cannot get time to do it! Any chance of this one sailing in next years season? I know a few people who will be interested in sailing on the cruise

Best wishes and many thanks for a great website .... always look forward to the updates - Dave

See a brief history on all the Thames Estuary Forts navigate from Fort Fax