Radio Syd - History (3)

1966

On 18th January 1966 severe pack ice started to form in The Oresund and Cheeta 2 was forced to leave her anchorage for fear of being trapped and crushed in the frozen seas. Consequently both Radio Syd and the fledgling TV Syd had to suspend transmissions until the weather improved and the vessel could return to her position off Malmo.

The station's owners were reluctant to allow the ship to enter a Swedish port for fear that the vessel would be impounded by the authorities using their new powers of confiscation, so they lowered the aerial mast and planned to sail Cheeta 2 to a temporary  anchorage in comparatively warmer waters off the Dutch coast, near the Radio Veronica vessel Norderney, until the winter ice in The Oresund had melted.

As Cheeta 2 was sailing to her proposed new anchorage, the Mi Amigo, home of Radio Caroline South, ran aground on the English coast and, hearing of this catastrophe, Mrs. Wadner offered the use of her vessel as a temporary home for Caroline. The offer was accepted by Radio Caroline's Ronan O'Rahilly and the Cheeta 2 was diverted to anchor off the Essex coast, where she arrived on 31st January 1966.

When Radio Syd had been forced to close due to the extreme weather conditions the station had been at the height of its popularity and there had been the exciting prospect of a regular offshore television service starting as well.

Unfortunately the station never returned to the air off the Swedish coast, largely because of the tougher legislation introduced by the Swedish Government during the early months of 1966. Also the Cheeta 2 became involved in the British offshore radio scene, as a temporary home for Caroline South and later as a proposed base first for Radio London's planned northern station, Radio Manchester, and then for the planned easy-listening station Radio 390 North. Unfortunately neither of these plans came to fruition and Cheeta 2 languished in Britain for some time while ownership and financial disputes were resolved

After the various legal battles over ownership while off the English coast had been completed Cheeta 2 eventually sailed, first to Holland in November 1967 then via Spain to Morocco and the Canary Islands arriving in Las Palmas in December 1967.

Here she was rebuilt as a floating restaurant and disco and later sailed to Bathurst (now Banjul) Harbour in Gambia, West Africa. There Mrs. Wadner and her daughter Connie had been granted a licence to operate Radio Syd at first from the ship and later from a land-base. Radio Syd continued to broadcast from this legal base to Gambia while the Cheeta 2 remained in Bathurst Harbour for some time as a floating restaurant.

Cheeta 2, which became neglected and in a generally poor condition was torn from her moorings during a hurricane in the mid 1980s and eventually sank in the Gambia River. Mrs. Wadner took up residence in Gambia and lived there for many years supervising the operation of her radio station and floating restaurant as well as a hotel - the Wadner Beach Hotel. She retired at the beginning of the 1980s and returned to her native Sweden where she died in March 1987.

Cheeta 2 abandoned and sinking in Bathurst Harbour

Click on picture to enlarge

Radio Syd’s studio in Gambia

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A 3 part film  originally recorded by Mats Lindgren who worked as a technician at both Skanes Radio Mercur and Radio Syd.

Part 1 shows life on board Cheeta in the summer of 1962

Part 2 shows Cheeta in July 1962. Cheeta in Limhamn during winter 1963. Cheeta aground outside Vikshög. Cheeta in Malmö harbour in September 1964 and removing all valuable items before she sank in the harbour in October.

Part 3 shows the Club Radio Syd demonstration in August 1964 and  Britt Wadner leaving for Hinseberg Prison