HMS Caroline - Belfast's incredible First World War ship - was dramatically transformed into the city’s most prestigious and most unlikely disco hotspot from the late Sixties through to the end of the Eighties, with support from some of national radio’s biggest household name music presenters.
Organised and presented by ex-Royal Navy CPO Chief Engineer, John Taylor and fellow ex-Petty Officer Writer, Billy Willis, HMS Caroline’s legendary glitterball weekend specials were packed out by navy officers, their families and friends who danced the night away to the very latest music sounds across three decades.
The story of the historic HMS Caroline discos can be traced through the incredible surviving record collection that was played by navy officers-turned DJs, John and Billy, as the historic ship resonated to the latest hits of the day, from 1968 right through to 1990.
HMS Caroline ex-Chief Engineer, John Taylor, with some of the records he played at the First World War ship's legendary discos
Berthed in Belfast for over 100 years, HMS Caroline has been described as a time capsule for the city. As well as telling the story of the historic ship’s long-running discos, this historic record collection represents a musical journey through time and cultural evolution. Every instantly recognisable song played onboard the First World War ship’s discos takes the listener back to a particular period in Belfast’s own history, from Mungo Jerry’s In the Summertime and Bye Bye Baby by the Bay City Rollers to the Human League’s Don’t You Want Me, Dexys Midnight Runners’ Come on Eileen and Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up.
HMS Caroline ex-Chief Engineer, John Taylor, who co-hosted the First World War ship's legendary discos
Injecting even more street cred and gravitas into HMS Caroline’s legendary discos was the exclusive backing John Taylor and Billy Willis enjoyed from many of the top radio presenters of the day, including BBC Radio 1’s Annie Nightingale and Tony Blackburn - who regularly sent Belfast’s maritime DJ duo a steady stream of pre-release singles featuring the hottest new songs, played exclusively at Belfast’s floating discos before they hit the record shops. HMS Caroline was the place to be to listen and dance to the latest greatest sounds before anyone else!
HMS Caroline’s legendary discos attracted a host of well-known radio show presenters over the years, from Tony Blackburn to well-known local presenters such as Big T and Candy Devine, who regularly visited to give their seal of approval and savour the atmosphere of Belfast’s disco maritime marvel.
Billy Willis’ son, Mark, is now the proud custodian of his father’s incredible 3,500-strong HMS Caroline disco record collection, ensuring the legacy of Belfast’s maritime discos lives on to be retold to future generations of local people.
HMS Caroline ex-Chief Engineer, John Taylor (left) and Mark Willis, son of John's co- DJ Billy, with records played at the ship's legendary discos
John Taylor has a wealth of treasured memories of his times spent swapping officer’s hat for headphones to bring Belfast’s First World War ship’s dancefloor right up to date with the very latest sounds across three decades.
HMS Caroline ex-Chief Engineer, John Taylor (left) and Mark Willis, son of John's co- DJ Billy, with records played at the ship's legendary discos
HMS Caroline has played a huge part in John’s life since 1968, starting as a stoker before working his way up to the ship’s Chief Engineer. He met his wife, Eileen, onboard the ship where she was serving as a Royal Navy WREN. All three of John and Eileen’s children were christened onboard HMS Caroline.
While serving onboard HMS Caroline he supervised the historic ship’s relocation from Pollock Dock - where she had been berthed since the Second World War - to her current home at Alexandra Dock in the Titanic Quarter. As part of the move, John’s naval team was tasked with removing 300 feet of historic Titanic Slipway cobblestones. At a time when historic preservation and conservation were not as high on the public agenda, John rescued some of the cobblestones from the builder’s skip and repurposed them for his driveway! He continues his association with the ship to this day as an HMS Caroline volunteer.
The second-longest serving ship in Royal Navy history, HMS Caroline is now woven into the fabric of Belfast’s maritime heritage. The ship’s remarkable history, legacy and stories continue to live on through many of the local men and women who served onboard right up to her decommissioning in 2011.
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For more information and to request interview with ex-HMS Caroline Chief Engineer John Taylor, contact:
Nicholas Sadlier
T: 07926 527700
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