HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Principality of Sealand () is a
micronation A micronation is a polity, political entity whose representatives claim that they belong to an independent nation or sovereign state, but which lacks legal recognition by any sovereign state. Micronations are classified separately from list o ...
on
HM Fort Roughs HM Fort Roughs is one of several World War II installations that were designed by Guy Maunsell and known collectively as His Majesty's Forts or as Maunsell Sea Forts; the purpose of which was to guard the port of Harwich, Essex, and more bro ...
(also known as Roughs Tower), an offshore platform in the
North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...
. It is situated on Rough Sands, a
sandbar In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material, and rises from the bed of a body of water close to the surface or ...
located approximately from the coast of
Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...
and from the coast of Essex. Roughs Tower is a
Maunsell Sea Fort The Maunsell Forts are towers built in the Thames and Mersey estuaries during the Second World War to help defend the United Kingdom. They were operated as army and navy forts, and named for their designer, Guy Maunsell. The forts were decommi ...
that was built by the
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
in
international waters The terms international waters or transboundary waters apply where any of the following types of bodies of water (or their drainage basins) transcend international boundaries: oceans, large marine ecosystems, enclosed or semi-enclosed region ...
during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Since 1967, the decommissioned Roughs Tower has been occupied and claimed as a sovereign state by the family and associates of
Paddy Roy Bates Patrick Roy Bates (29 August 1921 – 9 October 2012), self-styled as Prince Roy of Sealand, was a British pirate radio broadcaster and micronationalist, who founded the self-proclaimed Principality of Sealand.Strauss, Erwin. ''How to Start You ...
. Bates seized Roughs Tower from a group of
pirate radio Pirate radio is a radio station that broadcasts without a valid license, whether an invalid license or no license at all. In some cases, radio stations are considered legal where the signal is transmitted, but illegal where the signals are rec ...
broadcasters in 1967 with the intention of setting up his own station there. Bates and his associates have repelled incursions from vessels from rival pirate radio stations and the UK's
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
using firearms and petrol bombs.Ryan, John; Dunford, George; Sellars, Simon. ''Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations'', Lonely Planet Publications, 2006, pp. 9–12. In 1987, the United Kingdom extended its
territorial waters Territorial waters are informally an area of water where a sovereign state has jurisdiction, including internal waters, the territorial sea, the contiguous zone, the exclusive economic zone, and potentially the extended continental shelf ( ...
to 12 nautical miles, which places the platform in British territory. As of August 2024, Sealand has only one permanent resident.


History

In 1943, during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Roughs Tower was constructed by the United Kingdom as one of the
Maunsell Forts The Maunsell Forts are towers built in the Thames Estuary, Thames and Mersey estuaries during the Second World War to help defend the United Kingdom. They were operated as army and navy forts, and named for their designer, Guy Maunsell. The for ...
, primarily to defend the vital shipping lanes in nearby estuaries against German mine-laying aircraft. It consisted of a floating pontoon base with a superstructure of two hollow towers joined by a deck upon which other structures could be added. The fort was towed to a position above the Rough Sands sandbar, where its base was deliberately flooded to sink it in place. This is approximately from the coast of
Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...
, outside the then claim of the United Kingdom and, therefore, in
international waters The terms international waters or transboundary waters apply where any of the following types of bodies of water (or their drainage basins) transcend international boundaries: oceans, large marine ecosystems, enclosed or semi-enclosed region ...
at the time. The facility was occupied by 150–300
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
personnel throughout World War II; the last full-time personnel left in 1956. The Maunsell Forts were decommissioned in the 1950s.


Occupation and establishment

Roughs Tower was occupied in February and August 1965 by Jack Moore and his daughter Jane, squatting on behalf of the pirate station
Wonderful Radio London Radio London, also known as Big L and Wonderful Radio London, was a top 40 (in London's case, the "Fab 40") offshore commercial station that operated from 23 December 1964 to 14 August 1967, from a ship anchored in the North Sea, off Frin ...
. On 2 September 1967, the fort was occupied by Major
Paddy Roy Bates Patrick Roy Bates (29 August 1921 – 9 October 2012), self-styled as Prince Roy of Sealand, was a British pirate radio broadcaster and micronationalist, who founded the self-proclaimed Principality of Sealand.Strauss, Erwin. ''How to Start You ...
, a British citizen and the owner of a pirate radio station, who ejected the competing group of pirate broadcasters. Bates intended to broadcast his pirate radio station—called Radio Essex—from the platform. Despite having the necessary equipment, he never began broadcasting. Bates declared the independence of Roughs Tower and deemed it the Principality of Sealand. In 1968, British workmen entered what Bates claimed to be his
territorial waters Territorial waters are informally an area of water where a sovereign state has jurisdiction, including internal waters, the territorial sea, the contiguous zone, the exclusive economic zone, and potentially the extended continental shelf ( ...
to service a navigational buoy near the platform. Michael Bates (son of Paddy Roy Bates) tried to scare the workmen off by firing warning shots from the fort. As Bates was a
British subject The term "British subject" has several different meanings depending on the time period. Before 1949, it referred to almost all subjects of the British Empire (including the United Kingdom, Dominions, and colonies, but excluding protectorates ...
at the time, he was summoned to court in England on firearms charges following the incident. The court ruled that the platform (which Bates was now calling Sealand) was outside British territorial limits, being beyond the limit which then applied to the country's waters. As a result, the case could not proceed as it was not within British jurisdiction. Bates considers this Sealand's first instance of ''de facto'' recognition. In 1975, Bates introduced a
constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...
for Sealand, followed by a national flag, a national anthem, ''E Mare Libertas'', a currency, passports, and an immigration stamp.


1978 attack and Sealand Rebel Government

In August 1978, Alexander Achenbach, who described himself as the Prime Minister of Sealand, hired several German and Dutch mercenaries to lead an attack on Sealand while Bates and his wife were in Austria, invited by Achenbach to discuss the sale of Sealand. Achenbach had disagreed with Bates over plans to turn Sealand into a luxury hotel and casino with fellow German and Dutch businessmen. They stormed the platform and took Bates's son, Michael Bates, hostage. Michael was able to retake Sealand and capture Achenbach and the mercenaries. Achenbach, a German lawyer who held a Sealand passport, was charged with treason against Sealand, and was held unless he paid DM 75,000 (more than US$35,000 or £23,000). Germany then sent a diplomat from its London embassy to Sealand to negotiate for Achenbach's release. Roy Bates relented after several weeks of negotiations and subsequently claimed that the diplomat's visit constituted ''de facto'' recognition of Sealand by Germany. Following his repatriation, Achenbach and Gernot Pütz proclaimed a government in exile, sometimes known as the Sealand Rebel Government or Sealandic Rebel Government, in Germany.


Expansion of British territorial waters

In 1987, the United Kingdom extended its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles, which put Sealand in waters internationally recognised as British. Sealand previously sold fantasy passports (as termed by the Council of the European Union), which are not valid for international travel. In 1997, the Bates family revoked all Sealand passports, including those that they themselves had issued over the previous 22 years, due to the realisation that an international money laundering ring had appeared, using the sale of fake Sealand passports to finance drug trafficking and money laundering from Russia and Iraq. The ringleaders of the operation, based in Madrid but with ties to various groups in Germany—including to the rebel Sealand Government in exile established by Achenbach—had used fake Sealandic diplomatic passports and number plates. They were reported to have sold 4,000 fake Sealandic passports to Hong Kong citizens for an estimated $1,000 each. Michael Bates stated in late 2016 that Sealand was receiving hundreds of applications for passports every day. In 2015, Bates asserted that Sealand's population is "normally like two people".


2006 fire

On the afternoon of 23 June 2006, the top platform of the Roughs Tower caught fire due to an electrical fault. A
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
rescue helicopter transferred one person to Ipswich Hospital, directly from the tower. The
Harwich Harwich is a town in Essex, England, and one of the Haven ports on the North Sea coast. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the north-east, Ipswich to the north-west, Colchester to the south-west and Clacton-o ...
lifeboat stood by the Roughs Tower until a local fire tug extinguished the fire. All damage was repaired by November 2006.


Attempted sales

In January 2007,
The Pirate Bay The Pirate Bay, commonly abbreviated as TPB, is a free searchable online index of Film, movies, music, video games, Pornographic film, pornography and software. Founded in 2003 by Swedish think tank , The Pirate Bay facilitates the connection ...
, an online index of digital content of entertainment media and software founded by the Swedish think tank , attempted to purchase Sealand after harsher copyright measures in Sweden forced them to look for a base of operations elsewhere. Between 2007 and 2010, Sealand was offered for sale through the Spanish estate company InmoNaranja, at an asking price of €750 million ( £600 million, US$906 million), (approximately £985,000,000 in 2024).


Death of founder

Roy Bates died at the age of 91 on 9 October 2012 after a diagnosis of
Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...
several years earlier. His son Michael took over the operation of Sealand, although he continued to live in Suffolk, where he and his sons were operating a family fishing business called Fruits of the Sea.
Joan Bates Joan Bates ( Collins; 2 September 1929 – 10 March 2016), also self-styled as Princess Joan of Sealand, was the wife of Paddy Roy Bates, a British entrepreneur who founded the self-proclaimed micronation known as the Principality of Sealand. ...
, Roy Bates's wife, died in an Essex nursing home at the age of 86 on 10 March 2016.


Legal status

In 1987, the UK extended its territorial waters from , bringing Sealand into British territorial waters. In the opinion of law academic John Gibson, there is little chance that Sealand would be recognised as a nation due to it being a man-made structure. In 2008, the
Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...
recognised Sealand as "the smallest area to lay claim to nation status".


Recognition

Sealand is not officially recognised by any established sovereign state. Nonetheless, the Sealand government claims it has been ''de facto'' recognised by the United Kingdom and Germany, on account of a UK court ruling and Germany's dispatch of a diplomat to Sealand.


Administration

Irrespective of its legal status, Sealand is managed by the Bates family as if it were a recognised sovereign entity and they are its hereditary
royal Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or Royalty (disambiguation), royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Ill ...
rulers. Roy Bates styled himself as Prince Roy and his wife Princess Joan. Their son had been referred to as the
Prince Regent A prince regent or princess regent is a prince or princess who, due to their position in the line of succession, rules a monarchy as regent in the stead of a monarch, e.g., as a result of the sovereign's incapacity (minority or illness) or ab ...
by the Bates family between 1999 and Roy's death in 2012. In this role, he apparently served as Sealand's acting Head of State and also its Head of Government. At a micronations conference hosted by the
University of Sunderland The University of Sunderland is a public research university located in Sunderland in the North East of England. Its predecessor, Sunderland Technical College, was established as a municipal training college in 1901. It gained university status ...
in 2004, Sealand was represented by Michael Bates's son James. The facility is now occupied by one or more caretakers representing Michael Bates, who himself resides in
Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...
, England.


Business operations

Sealand has been involved in several commercial operations, including the issuing of coins and postage stamps and the establishment of an offshore Internet hosting facility, or
data haven A data haven, like a corporate haven or tax haven, is a refuge for uninterrupted or unregulated data. Data havens are locations with legal environments that are friendly to the concept of a computer network freely holding data and even protecting ...
. The principality also sells
noble titles A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, G ...
on its online store, such as Lord and Baron. Some notable individuals who possess or have possessed titles from Sealand include
Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran ( ; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...
,
Terry Wogan Sir Michael Terence Wogan (; 3 August 1938 – 31 January 2016) was an Irish radio and television broadcaster who worked for the BBC in Britain for most of his career. Between 1993 and his semi-retirement in 2009, his BBC Radio 2 weekday brea ...
and
Ben Fogle Benjamin Myer Fogle (born 3 November 1973) is an English broadcaster, writer and adventurer, best known for his presenting roles with British television channels Channel 5, BBC and ITV. Early life Fogle is the son of English actress Julia ...
. In 2000, publicity was created about Sealand following the establishment of a new entity called
HavenCo HavenCo Limited was a data haven, data hosting services company, founded in 2000 to operate from Sealand, a unrecognised self-declared principality that occupies HM Fort Roughs off the coast of England. In November 2008, operations of Haven ...
, a data haven, which effectively took control of Roughs Tower itself.
Ryan Lackey Ryan Donald Lackey (born March 17, 1979) is an entrepreneur and computer security professional. He was a co-founder of HavenCo, the world's first data haven, and operated BlueIraq, a communications company. He speaks at numerous conferences and ...
, Haven's co-founder and a key participant in the country, left HavenCo under acrimonious circumstances in 2002, citing disagreements with the Bates family over management of the company. The HavenCo website went offline in 2008.


Sports

Sealand is nominal home to multiple sports teams, including an association football team and an American football club. Sealand's national association football team was founded in 2003, initially being a team from
Vestbjerg Vestbjerg is a town and satellite community just outside Aalborg, Denmark. Located some north of Aalborg's city centre, it belongs to the Municipality of Aalborg in the North Jutland Region. Vestbjerg has a population of 3,039 (1 January 2025). ...
representing the micronation. In 2009, the team was revised with
Neil Forsyth Neil Forsyth (born 1978) is a Scottish author, television writer and journalist. He has written and created a number of British television shows including '' The Gold'', '' Guilt'', and '' Bob Servant Independent'', and has won numerous televisio ...
as manager. Following Forsynth, the team has been managed by
Julian Dicks Julian Andrew Dicks (born 8 August 1968) is an English football coach and former Association football, footballer, currently manager of Heybridge Swifts F.C., Heybridge Swifts. Playing from 1985 until 2002, he was a left back, notably in the P ...
and Ed Stubbs. The micronation's American football club, known as the Sealand Seahawks, was founded in 2021 by husband-and-wife Mike and Nia Ireland. As of 2022, the club had men's, women's, and masters (players over 35) teams, and had over 200 players and staff. The national flag of Sealand has been carried by mountaineers to the peaks of
Muztagh Ata Muztagh Ata (meaning 'Ice Mountain Father' in English), formerly known as Mount Tagharma and Wi-tagh, is the second highest of the mountains which form the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau, with an elevation of . It is sometimes regarded a ...
and
Mount Everest Mount Everest (), known locally as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Qomolangma in Tibet, is Earth's highest mountain above sea level. It lies in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas and marks part of the China–Nepal border at it ...
. Additionally, athletes have represented Sealand in international kung fu and
ultimate Ultimate or Ultimates may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums *Ultimate (Bryan Adams album), ''Ultimate'' (Bryan Adams album) *Ultimate (Jolin Tsai album), ''Ultimate'' (Jolin Tsai album) *Ultimate (Pet Shop Boys album), ''Ult ...
competitions. Sealand itself has also been the site of skateboarding and a single-person
half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish, or shortcu ...
. Richard Royal swam from Sealand to the British mainland in 2018, being recognized by the British Long Distance Swimming Association, the World Open Water Swimming Association, and
Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...
in doing so.


References


Further reading

* Cogliati-Bantz, Vincent
"My Platform, My State: The Principality of Sealand in International Law"
() (2012) 18 (3) ''Journal of International Maritime Law'' 227–250 * Connelly, Charlie. ''Attention All Shipping: A Journey Round the Shipping Forecast'', Abacus, 2005. . * Conroy, Matthew. "Note: Sealand – The Next New Haven?" '' Suffolk Transnational Law Review'', vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 127–152. Winter 2003. ISSN 1072-8546
Issue table of contents page
(). * Fogle, Ben. ''Offshore: In Search of an Island of My Own'', Penguin Books, 2007. . * Garfinkel, Simson.

"). ''Wired''. July 2000. Vol. 8.07. * Gilmour, Kim.

() ''Internet Magazine''. August 2002. * Goldsmith, Jack, & Wu, Tim. ''Who Controls the Internet?: Illusions of a Borderless World'', 2006, . * Grimmelmann, James
"Sealand, HavenCo, and the Rule of Law"
(), March 2012, ''University of Illinois Law Review'', Volume 2012, Number 2

License plates of the world. Web. 28 December 2009. * * Menefee, Samuel Pyeatt. "Republics of the Reefs: Nation-Building on the Continental Shelf and in the World's Oceans". ''California Western International Law Journal'', vol. 25, no. 1. Fall 1994. * Miller, Marjorie, & Boudreaux, Richard. "A Nation for Friend and Faux". ''Los Angeles Times''. 7 June 2000. p. A-1. * Moss, Joanne (2021). ''Critical perspectives: North Sea offshore wind farms.: Oral histories, aesthetics and selected legal frameworks relating to the North Sea''. Master's thesis. Uppsala University, Sweden
DiVA - Search result
* Slapper, Gary

''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
''. 8 August 2000. p. 3.
partial quotation of the article
* Strauss, Erwin S. ''How to Start Your Own Country'', 2nd ed. Port Townsend, WA: Breakout Productions, 1984. . * Taylor-Lehman, Dylan (2020). ''Sealand: The True Story of the World's Most Stubborn Micronation and Its Eccentric Royal Family''. Diversion Books. .


External links


Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sealand, Principality of Artificial islands of England Geography of Suffolk Micronations in England North Sea Separatism in the United Kingdom States and territories established in 1967 1967 establishments in England