Radio New York International Key Dates

Radio New York International - Key Dates

17th July 1988	Sarah left harbour again following refurbishment. US Coastguards decided that the ship was violating an order which had been imposed on her the previous year to remain in port and instructed the Captain of the tug to tow the Sarah back to her berth in Boston Harbour
10th September 1988	The Sarah finally managed to leave Boston Harbour
11th September 1988	Sarah anchored four and a half miles off Long Island, but remained silent for over a month.
15th October 1988	Test transmissions for RNYI start at 8.00pm
17th October 1988	FCC was granted a temporary Restraining Order forbidding the station to broadcast. FCC officials arrived alongside the Sarah at 10.00pm that same evening and attempted to serve the Restraining Order.They also formally asked the Captain of the radio ship to comply by ceasing RNYI's transmissions. Those on board the Sarah decided they had no option but to comply with the Restraining Order.
** December 1988	The temporary Restraining Order against RNYI is made permanent.

1988

Spring 1986	Conversion work started to turn the Sarah into a floating radio station
** September 1986	A 103' aerial mast erected on board Sarah

1986

20th July 1987	The Sarah was towed out of Boston Harbour
22nd July 1987	Sarah arrived at her anchorage four and a half miles off Long Island, New York
23rd July 1987	First test transmissions take place for Radio New York International (RNYI)
25th July 1987	A US Coastguard cutter came alongside the Sarah and announced that they intended to board the radio ship
28th July 1987	At 5.30am (a few hours after test transmissions had finished), the US Coastguard cutter, Cape Horn came alongside Sarah and officials warned that they intended to seize the radio ship, claiming to have permission from the Honduran Government. Al Weiner and two colleagues arrested, removed from the Sarah and subsequently charged with "conspiracy to impede the functioning of the United States Government"
27th August 1987	Just minutes before the three men were due in Court they were informed that the prosecution was dropping all charges against them

1987

26th April 1986

A reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in Ukraine explodes, immediately killing 31 people.

3rd July 1987

Richard Branson and Swedish-born Per Lindstrand became the first people to cross the Atlantic in a hot air balloon.

30th July 1987 Microsoft acquired Forethought, the developer of PowerPoint, for $14 million. Microsoft created its own version 3 years later.

19th August 1987 Michael Ryan shot 16 people dead in Hungerford, Berkshire. He wounded another 15 before turning the gun on himself.

6th July 1988

A series of explosions and fires destroyed the Piper Alpha North Sea oil drilling platform, killing 167 oil workers.

17th September 1988

South Korea opened the XXIV Olympiad in Seoul.

1st October 1988 Mikhail Gorbachev was confirmed as Soviet President, succeeding Andrei A. Gromyko.

History

Key Dates

Ship and Location

Technical

Staff

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