The Radio Ship live

The Radio Ship is an online radio station that pays tribute to the legendary British offshore radio stations of the past. Its tagline, Bringing Back Radio From The High Seas, says it all: it is like a live offshore radio museum, built around a playlist of the music that made pirate radio famous. On this page you can listen to The Radio Ship live online for free.

A celebration of offshore radio

The Radio Ship was established by Doug Wood in 2014 and launched on Radio Caroline's official 50th birthday, celebrating fifty years of British and worldwide offshore radio. In the 1960s, stations such as Radio Caroline, Radio London and Radio 390 broadcast from ships and sea forts off the British coast, playing the pop music that young listeners could not hear on the BBC. They changed British radio forever, and The Radio Ship keeps their memory alive with music, jingles and stories from those days. The station is associated with Margate on the Kent coast, close to where some of the famous offshore stations once anchored.

What you will hear

The Radio Ship plays pop, oldies and rock, with a strong emphasis on the music of the 1960s and 1970s that defined the offshore era, from The Beatles, The Kinks and The Rolling Stones to Dusty Springfield and The Small Faces. Classic jingles, recordings and features about the history of offshore radio give listeners a flavour of what it was like to tune in to the pirates, while later hits and album tracks keep the music varied. For anyone who grew up listening to the pirates, it is a nostalgic voyage; for younger listeners, it is a fascinating slice of radio history.

How to listen to The Radio Ship

The Radio Ship streams online, so the easiest way to listen is right here: press play above, and the stream starts straight away on your phone, tablet or computer. If you love radio history, you may also enjoy Radio Caroline, Radio Caroline Flashback, RNI Radio Northsea International and Radio Jackie, all available on our site.

For a nostalgic voyage through the golden age of offshore radio, The Radio Ship is ready to set sail.

• 100% free, no sign-up
• Live stream, 24 hours a day
• Listen from anywhere
• Works on phone and computer