The arsonist who nearly destroyed the LV18 was jailed by a judge in Chelmsford on 7th June 2024
https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/24372673.harwich-arsonist-jailed-setting-fire-lv18-lightship/
On the evening before the court proceedings were concluded we lit the LV18’s lantern. The phoenix has risen.
If you would like to help us continue the restoration of the LV18, following the arson, please visit our crowdfunder appeal:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/lv18-restoration-fund
Following 2 days of intensive work by our volunteers, the electrical connection to the LV18’s lantern was returned to full use on 6th June 2024, which coincided with the 80th anniversary of D Day. A beacon was being lit in a nearby park at 2115 that eve, and all vessels were asked to sound their horns; with these repairs done, the LV18 was able to join in.
Jeff Welch (JW Shipping Photography) shot a great video of the event with his drone (Facebook video)
One of our volunteers shot this short video – Beware the HORN!
This week’s repair work, which returned our lantern to full use, cost time and money. If you can help us, please donate to the ship’s restoration fund
https://www.gofundme.com/f/lv18-restoration-fund
The LV18 will be open for visitors from Saturday 25th May, returning to our customary hours of 11am to 4pm.
Visitors are welcome to come aboard the LV18, walk around the deck and go down below to see how the lightvessel crews lived during their months at sea. There’s also a history of pirate radio and examples of radio over the last century.
Most of the vessel is open to the public apart from a small area which is still undergoing refurbishment.
Please note that the ship was not built for those who need additional accessibility.
Our enforced closure was due to the disastrous arson on 2nd Feb. The clean up that followed has also delayed our normal winter maintenance activities – a few of these remain so please bare with us!
We welcome donations to our restoration fund
https://www.gofundme.com/f/lv18-restoration-fund
Since the devastating fire back in February, on board Lightvessel 18, (the home of RADIO MI AMIGO), We still need to raise more funds in order to have enough to get the restoration work completed, as well as replace some of the lost historical artefacts of the 1900’s, as well as vintage radios & other rare maritime items.
So if you can make it that day (29th June 2024 in Chelmsford), not only will you be filling your ears with some top Festival bands, you’ll also be helping our cause, to fully restore the LV18 and keep RADIO MI AMIGO ON AIR! 
Garry Lee
The clean-up continues on the lower deck and the main companionway/gangway will be next for the red floor paint treatment. The mid/aft section of this companionway (first photo) was just outside the worst fire damaged area.
Several of the doors along here were damaged by the heat. The worst of these will need to be replaced but the remainder will bear the scars of the arson damage.
Our professional contractors have now left the ship after making the worst areas safe for us to access, with caution! Cleaning and restoration now continues with the help of our volunteers. One key mark of the progress we’re making was when we painted the floor in the forward compartment area during the past few days. This area suffered heat and smoke damage but thankfully was spared the fire. Painting the floor is truly the last step in restoring the space to normal use, although we do have to wait for it to dry thoroughly!
The paint in question is a special marine paint from Akzo, and PPE was necessary given the enclosed space.
A new page, After The Fire, has been started on this site to mark our progress in restoring the ship. New content will be added as we hit more landmarks.
We’re featured in the latest edition of My Special Home Magazine. It’s available in the Manningtree area although we picked up our copy in the Harwich Ha’Penny Pier Visitor Centre, next to the LV18.
Nine weeks after the fire that devastated the LV18 we can now show some photos of the most severely damaged area, after they have been mostly cleared of debris.
From the quayside the worst area is clearly visible, concentrated around the starboard aft cabin area.
Within the ship, anything combustible was destroyed. This included cabins and all the electrical equipment.
The damage to the electrical systems was throughout the ship and every cable, socket and distribution panel has needed to be replaced. That included the studio, located in the ship’s lookout.
The studio was unusable until just a few days before the broadcast. Every item of equipment was damaged beyond use due to the smoke.
Most of the studio vinyl collection was damaged beyond use
Essex Police have opened a criminal investigation into the fire.
Easter Weekend was a blast, with our visiting celebrity DJs and BBC Essex’s live broadcast from the ship on Easter Saturday, as well as the show at the Electric Palace on Easter Monday.
We were marking the 60th anniversary of UK offshore and independent radio and were delighted that we could have Keith Skues and Roger ‘Twiggy’ Day in our studio during the weekend.
Roger is reading Keith’s latest book
Our thanks to Keith & Roger for agreeing to spend the weekend with us.
Otherwise we had shows from Stephen ‘Foz’ Foster (formerly BBC Suffolk, Radio Orwell and more!), Garry Lee, Chris Cooper, Paul Windsor, Rick Marks, Olly KInvig, Dave Kent, Jim Fourniadis and Duke Anthony.
Duke was in Harwich on holiday when he heard about the fire and offered to help put the studio back together. A day or so later he was presenting a show!
The Easter celebration of radio had been planned for many months before the devastating fire and it was only due to hard work by many people that we were able to proceed with the weekend.
With the generosity of the New Bell Inn, Electric Palace Trust and Scruton Wyatt Media we have added a substantial amount to our regeneration fund.
The following was sent to the Harwich & Manningtree Standard for the 5th April 2024 edition.
Radio Mi Amigo was broadcast from historic light vessel LV18 in Harwich Harbour over Easter Weekend, with fans flocking to Harwich to help mark the 60th anniversary of offshore broadcasting. Radio Caroline started the radio revolution in 1964 just off the coast of Harwich, and were soon joined by other ships. The guest DJs, on board the LV18, for the weekend included Keith ‘Cardboard Shoes’ Skues and Roger ‘Twiggy’ Day who were both on Radio Caroline, and other ships, in the mid 1960s.
Radio Mi Amigo was also supported by visiting DJs Stephen ‘Foz’ Foster, Garry Lee, Olly Kinvig, Paul Windsor, Chris Cooper, Rick Marks, Dave Kent and Duke Anthony. Duke had arrived in Harwich to help put the studio together but ended up in the studio chair hosting several shows!
One highlight of the weekend was when Keith Skues and Roger Day shared the studio to talk about their lives afloat sixty years ago, before they headed to the Electric Palace as guests of BBC Essex presenters Steve Scruton and Ian Wyatt. The proceeds of that show will be donated to the LV18 Restoration Fund, along with a donation from the Electric Palace Trust from film revenue over the Easter Weekend’s 1960s film festival.
BBC Essex was broadcast live from the LV18 on Easter Saturday, with Steve Scruton interviewing the DJs, fans who had gathered on the quayside and members of the public.
The Pharos Trust, which owns and operates the LV18, also hosted a visit by three member of the Tendring District Council Economic Development team, which has been working with the Trust on a community radio project over the past six months.
It is hoped that the ship will re-open to the public by the end of May, once the immediate restoration work and clean-up have been completed. A further live radio weekend is being planned for August.
The Pharos Trust thanks everyone who helped put together the wonderful weekend in the LV18’s floating studio and would especially like to thank those who helped raise money for the continuing Restoration Fund.