See also  Mebo II

El Fatah (Mebo II) enters Tripoli Harbour, Libya in 1977 (photo Robin Adcroft)

After RNI had closed in August 1974 Mebo II (and Angela) sailed into Rotterdam. There then followed a prolonged legal battle in the Dutch courts before the ships could be released.

In November 1976 both the Mebo II and Angela were dry docked, repaired and repainted. On 14th January 1977 both ships finally left harbour and sailed towards Rotterdam. A detention order was briefly placed on Mebo II after she damaged two other ships in harbour, but this was lifted when compensation was paid. Both ships left port on 16th January 1977 and arrived off Tripoli, Libya on 9th February, entering the harbour a week later after irregularities in their registration papers had been sorted out. The two vessels had been leased to Colonel Gadaffi’s government as broadcast bases while Mebo Ltd installed landbased transmitters for the People’s Revolutionary Army.

On 8th August 1977 both the Mebo II and Angela sailed to Benghazi and then on to Derna harbour (600 miles east of Tripoli). The Mebo II was moved back to Benghaziat the end of October 1977.

In January 1978 the Mebo II returned to Tripoli and In April  both ships were acquired by the Libyan Government and re-named El Fatah (Mebo II) and Almasira (Angela).

In 1984 both ships were used as target practice by the Libyan Air Force and Navy and sunk in the Gulf of Sidra.

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Thanks to Martin van der Ven for allowing us to use some additional information from the Broadcasting Fleet section of the Offshore Radio Guide  in this Gallery

See Mebo II  for details of this ship’s home  to Radio North Sea International (RNI)

Ships - The Main Fleet