Historic Lightvessel tracing history of Marconi and Baird plus amazing Pirate Radio Exhibition. Educational and community resource.
LV18 is a decommissioned former Trinity House lightship, now moored on Harwich Town waterfront & belonging to the Pharos Trust. It's easily found, standing out between Ha'penny Pier & the RNLI shop & museum. It's a strikingly impressive vessel at first sight, painted white & red, with its distinctive light tower. It's a formerly active lightship, launched in 1958, with a fascinating story, all to be discovered if you venture onboard. However, it's perhaps the interior that's most impressive, restored throughout to a high level of period detail. The engine room of LV18 is the only example of a THV lightship still equipped with its power generators, 6 Gardner diesels. As well as the mechanical authenticity of the boat, it also has a period galley & mess in Sixties colours & radio studio. Although now a static exhibit, LV18 is most famous for being used as the pirate radio ship for the Richard Curtis film, The Boat That Rocked. Although never actually used as a broadcasting base during the period of the off-shore 'pirates', LV18 has since hosted so-called 'pirate' commemorative broadcasts, (but under licence, for Radio Caroline & Radio Essex). LV18 is so much a quintessential part of Harwich, so it simply beggars belief that the town's Labour MP originally objected to its mooring on the town's waterfront! Even more senseless was the firebomb attack in February 2024, leaving the interior of the LV18 gutted by the explosion. A quarter of a century of volunteers' efforts & PS40,000 of restoration work was destroyed by a single act of arson!
Great place and really interesting to visit. We were given a full display of the radio studio by the Chief Engineer and a good rundown of the history of the boat. Very friendly and easy going place.
Superb venue with a great exhibition and history of pirate radio.
LV18 is a decommissioned lightvessel in perfect preservation and cleanleness - a credit to her owner Tony. We've visited 4 times over 4 years and it's always brilliant to be onboard. 5 stars and is a very interesting expierence to be onboard and to see what the crew of her lived on.
Very interesting especially for those that remember the Pirate Radio of the 60s
Very interesting for me and 14yr old grandson, we loved it, friendly staff, loads of history light ship and pirate radio ship, grandson loved all the collections in the ship, great memories for me, well worth a visit, good value too, thankyou
Good for kids
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LV18 is a decommissioned former Trinity House lightship, now moored on Harwich Town waterfront & belonging to the Pharos Trust. It's easily found, standing out between Ha'penny Pier & the RNLI shop & museum. It's a strikingly impressive vessel at first sight, painted white & red, with its distinctive light tower. It's a formerly active lightship, launched in 1958, with a fascinating story, all to be discovered if you venture onboard. However, it's perhaps the interior that's most impressive, restored throughout to a high level of period detail. The engine room of LV18 is the only example of a THV lightship still equipped with its power generators, 6 Gardner diesels. As well as the mechanical authenticity of the boat, it also has a period galley & mess in Sixties colours & radio studio. Although now a static exhibit, LV18 is most famous for being used as the pirate radio ship for the Richard Curtis film, The Boat That Rocked. Although never actually used as a broadcasting base during the period of the off-shore 'pirates', LV18 has since hosted so-called 'pirate' commemorative broadcasts, (but under licence, for Radio Caroline & Radio Essex). LV18 is so much a quintessential part of Harwich, so it simply beggars belief that the town's Labour MP originally objected to its mooring on the town's waterfront! Even more senseless was the firebomb attack in February 2024, leaving the interior of the LV18 gutted by the explosion. A quarter of a century of volunteers' efforts & PS40,000 of restoration work was destroyed by a single act of arson!
Great place and really interesting to visit. We were given a full display of the radio studio by the Chief Engineer and a good rundown of the history of the boat. Very friendly and easy going place.
Superb venue with a great exhibition and history of pirate radio.
LV18 is a decommissioned lightvessel in perfect preservation and cleanleness - a credit to her owner Tony. We've visited 4 times over 4 years and it's always brilliant to be onboard. 5 stars and is a very interesting expierence to be onboard and to see what the crew of her lived on.
Very interesting especially for those that remember the Pirate Radio of the 60s
Very interesting for me and 14yr old grandson, we loved it, friendly staff, loads of history light ship and pirate radio ship, grandson loved all the collections in the ship, great memories for me, well worth a visit, good value too, thankyou
