Prize draws on Crowdfunder
Individual prize draws are not promoted or endorsed by Crowdfunder.
INSULATOR SOLE SURVIVOR ROSS REVENGE MAST COLLAPSE
Maldon, , United Kingdom
Aim: This prize draw is running to raise money for urgent structural repairs to our radio ship 'Ross Revenge' in dry dock to secure her future
The Prize
Our Crowdfunder Draw Prize is a rare piece of Radio Caroline history. You could win the only surviving piece of the original Ross Revenge 300-ft mast - a unique ceramic insulator which fell to the deck as the mast collapsed into the sea, weakened by the infamous October 1987 hurricane.
The insulator is mounted on a solid wooden base with a gold-colour commemorative plaque. The item measures 13 1/2" wide x 9" high (inc insulator) x 6" wide and has a gold-colour commemorative plaque inscribed:
This ceramic insulator is the only surviving item from the 300ft mast on Radio Caroline’s radio ship 'Ross Revenge' which collapsed into the sea on 25 November 1987 weakened by a hurricane on 15/16 October 1987
It has a few chips which were presumably caused by the fall
Enter our Crowdfunder Draw now for your chance to win this unique artefact and you will be helping us raise funds for our Ross Revenge Charity Dry Dock Appeal at the same time.
Background
Ross Revenge rode out the hurricane overnight 15/16 October 1987, then on 24 November a storm whipped up heavy seas and caused the radio ship to pitch and roll. In the early hours of 25 November DJs and crew on board heard a huge crash and went on deck to discover that the aerial feeder cables had split and the ship's massive 300 ft aerial tower had broken away at deck level and fallen into the sea (see photo). The remains of the mast hanging over the side of Ross Revenge were causing the vessel to list
Station manager Peter Moore writes:
'The 300ft mast was guyed by a forest of wire rope, fore and aft and athwart the ship. It can be assumed that some of the port wires failed such that the mast and all stays fell in to the sea on the starboard side. The mast while being in the sea, was still connected to the ship at multiple points. Had the situation been less dangerous, engineer Ernie Stevenson considered securing a buoy to the mast to mark its position for possible future recovery. But as the broken end was battering the hull below the waterline the only possible action, carried out at great risk by Ernie and fellow engineer Peter Chicago, was to cut each guy wire where it was attached to the ship.
'So the mast and all things associated with it ended up on the sea bed where it will remain until the end of time. This sole ceramic insulator remained on deck. Whether the 300ft tower was a wonderful visual showpiece or a vast engineering folly is open to opinion, but out of 300ft of steel and thousands of feet of rigging, only this single item remains.'
Photo of Ross Revenge with full mast by Chris Southworth
The Cause
Ross Revenge' is in urgent need of dry docking, where surveys and structural repairs can be carried out. Our prize draws supplement our fundraising appeal to achieve our goal of securing the future of our historic ship for generations to come. The former pirate radio ship 'Ross Revenge' is still regularly broadcasting at sea today and more than 1,200 visitors tour the ship each year. The vessel is an important part of both deep sea fishing and broadcasting history. To lose her would be a tragedy.
How to Enter
A £10 donation gives you 1 entry
A £25 donation gives you 4 entries
A £50 donation gives you 10 entries
A £100 donation gives you 25 entries
You can also enter free by post. Details in the Ts & Cs
This project successfully funded on 13th July 2025