MV Mi Amigo

Mi Amigo c. 1974
History
Name
  • Margarethe (1921–27)
  • Olga (1927–59)
  • Bon Jour (1959–61)
  • Magda Maria (1961–62)
  • Mi Amigo (1962–80)
Owner
  • Ernst Simon AG (1921–27)
  • Heinrich Koppelmann (1927–41)
  • Kriegsmarine (1941–44)
  • Olga Koppelmann (1944–59)
  • Rosebud Shipping (1959–72)
  • Vermaat & van Dam (1972–80)
Operator
  • Ernst Simon AG (1921–27)
  • Heinrich Koppelmann (1927–41)
  • Kriegsmarine (1941–44)
  • Olga Koppelmann (1944–59)
  • Radio Nord (1959–62)
  • Project Atlanta (1962–64)
  • Radio Caroline (1964–80)
Port of registry
  • Weimar Republic Germany (1921–33)
  • Nazi Germany Hamburg (1933–41)
  • Nazi Germany Kriegsmarine (1941–44)
  • Nazi Germany Hamburg (1944–46)
  • Allied-occupied Germany Hamburg (1946–49)
  • West Germany Hamburg (1949–59)
  • Nicaragua Nicaragua (1959–61)
  • Panama Panama City (1961–64)
  • Netherlands Netherlands (1964–80)
BuilderDeutsche Werke
Launched1921
Commissioned5 June 1941
Decommissioned18 November 1943
Identification
FateSank, 20 March 1980
General characteristics
Class and typeCoaster
Tonnage
  • 159 GRT (1921–36)
  • 197 GRT (1936–53)
  • 97 NRT (1921–36)
  • 96 NRT (1936–53)
Length
  • 96 ft 8 in (29.46 m) (1921–36)
  • 111 ft 3 in (33.91 m) (1936–53)
  • 133 feet 9 inches (40.77 m) (1953–80)
Beam23 ft 1 in (7.04 m)
Depth9 ft 5 in (2.87 m)
Propulsion
  • Steam engine (1921–28)
  • 4-cylinder 4SCSA diesel engine (1928–36)
  • 6-cylinder 4SCSA diesel engine (1936–80)
Sail planSchooner (1921–59)
Speed8 knots (15 km/h)

Mi Amigo (Spanish: My Friend) was originally a three-masted cargo schooner, that later gained international recognition as an offshore radio station.[1] She was built as the schooner Margarethe for German owners. A sale in 1927 saw her renamed Olga and she was lengthened in 1936. During the Second World War, she was requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine and served as an auxiliary ship between 1941 and 1943. In 1953, the ship was again lengthened to 133 feet 9 inches (40.77 m).[1] In 1959, she was sold for conversion to a floating radio station and was renamed Bon Jour. Subsequently, she was renamed Magda Maria in 1961 and Mi Amigo in 1962. She served, intermittently, as a radio ship, until 1980, when she sank in a gale.

  1. ^ a b "M.V. Bon Jour = Magda Maria = Mi Amigo". The Offshore Radio Fleet. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 2 September 2010.