© 2014-2023 Offshore Radio Museum
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Former Name(s)
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Roelfina (1913)
Taurus (1946)
Nijmah Al Hazz (Arabic for Lucky Star)
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Description
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Originally a sailing ship
Coaster
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Length
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68’ (21m) (as Roelfina)
108’ (33m) (as Taurus and Lucky Star)
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Tonnage
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220 tons (as Roelfina)
240 tons (as Taurus and Lucky Star)
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Built
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1913 by H van der Werff, Groningen, The Netherlands.
(Motorised 1927)
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Flag state(s)
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Claimed Lebanon, possibly stateless
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Stations Housed
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DCR
(15th September 1961 - 19th January 1962)
Radio Mercur
(12th February - 16th August 1162)
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Ultimate fate
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Impounded by the Danish authorities in 1962 pending a resolution of her ownership details.
The ship was subsequently sold and renamed twice between 1963 and 1974 when she was finally scrapped.
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Right: Danish police and customs officials boarding the Lucky Star after it had been used again for unofficial broadcasts of Radio Mercur in August 1962
In 1963 Lucky Star was taken over by CV Bron of Copenhagen and rebuilt as a coaster. The same year she was sold to Knud E Witthoft of Rasmussen and re-named MV Kamila Witthoft.
In 1969 she was sold again to Carl E Larsen from Norresundby and renamed MV Vendelbo.
Ran aground on 28th July 1971
In 1974 she was sold to Poul Christensen of the Dansk Skipsophug scrapyard in Nakskov.
The Roelfina was originally built as a sailing vessel by H. van der Werff in Stadskanaal , Groningen, Netherlands in 1913. She was owned by Hendrik Holwerda from Gasselternijveen (Netherlands) and named after his wife Roelfina. The ship was not motorised until 1927 and at some time around that date she was also rebuilt and enlarged.
Between 1932 and 1946 the ship was owned by H.Sloots Rzn and later J. Sloots. In 1946 it was sold to C. Holscher's Kustvaartbedrijf NV in Rotterdam and renamed MV Taurus. In 1956, it was sold to A. Oudman in Rotterdam.
In 1960, Oudman sold the MV Taurus to A. Brask Thomsen from Copenhagen who rebuilt the vessel as a radio ship in the harbour of Stege and she was re-registered in Panama as the MV Lucky Star.
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
Sailing from Rotterdam as Nijmah Al Hazz in 1961
