Principality of Sealand
The Principality of Sealand, more commonly known as Sealand, is a micronation that claims as its territory the artificial island of Roughs Tower, a former Maunsell Sea Fort located in the North Sea 10 km (6mi) off the coast of Suffolk, England, United Kingdom as well as territorial waters in a twelve-nautical-mile radius. Sealand is occupied by family members and associates of Paddy Roy Bates, who styled himself as H.R.H. Prince Roy of Sealand. After the unfortunate death of Prince Roy, his son, Prince Michael I, took over the operation of the principality. The population of the nation rarely exceeds five, and its inhabitable area is 550m². It is the arguably the most famous micronation still in existence today, and possibly of all time.
Although Sealand's claims to sovereignty and legitimacy are not recognized by any UN-recognized country, it is probably the world's most/best-known micronation, and is sometimes cited in debates as an interesting case study of how various principles of international law can be applied to a territorial dispute. There are numerous corporate companies that currently claim to be the legitimate representation of Sealand, the main one being run by a group of German businessmen, for claim to the Government-in-exile of the Principality, and use this title to issue fraudulent citizenship papers, lotteries, banks and even web gambling. The Principality has recently begun to operate its own Forum and even sell parts of Sealand, although these do stay under the Sovereignty of the Principality of Sealand.
History
In 1942, during World War II, HM Fort Roughs was constructed by the UK as one of the Maunsell Sea Forts. It comprised 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 Rough Sands sandbar where its base was intentionally flooded so that it sank to a resting place on the sandbar. The location chosen was in international waters, outside the then three-mile territorial water claim of the United Kingdom.
The structure that the Principality is situated upon (termed Roughs Tower) was occupied by 150–300 Royal Navy personnel throughout World War II; post-war it was not until 1956 that the last full-time personnel were taken off HM Fort Roughs and marking of its position as a shipping hazard was left to Trinity House. On September 2, 1967, the fort was occupied by Major Paddy Roy Bates, a British subject and pirate radio broadcaster, who ejected a competing group of pirate broadcasters and claimed sovereignty on the basis of his interpretation of international law (see Legal status).
In 1978, while Bates was away, the Prime Minister of Sealand, Alexander G. Achenbach, and several German and Dutch citizens, staged a forcible takeover of Roughs Tower, holding Bates' son Michael captive, before releasing him several days later in the Netherlands.
Bates thereupon enlisted armed assistance and, in a helicopter assault, retook the fortress. He then held the invaders captive, claiming them as prisoners of war. Most participants in the invasion were repatriated at the cessation of the "war", but Gernot Pütz, a German lawyer who held a Sealand passport, was charged with treason against Sealand and was held unless he paid DM75,000 (more than £18,000). The governments of the Netherlands and Germany petitioned the British government for his release, but the United Kingdom disavowed all responsibility, citing the 1968 court decision. Germany then sent a diplomat from its London embassy to Roughs Tower to negotiate for Pütz's release, and after several weeks Roy Bates relented, subsequently claiming that the diplomat's visit constituted de facto recognition of Sealand by Germany.
Following his repatriation, Achenbach established an exile government in Germany, in opposition to Roy Bates, assuming the name "Chairman of the Privy Council". Upon Achenbach's resignation for health reasons in August 1989, the rebel government's "Minister for Economic Co-operation", Johannes Seiger, assumed control, with the position of "Prime Minister and Chairman of the Privy Council". Seiger continues to claim that he is Sealand's legitimate ruling authority.
Sealand claims the waters surrounding Roughs Tower to the extent of twelve nautical miles,[1] and it has claimed to have physically defended this claim on at least one occasion: in an incident in 1990, the Royal Maritime Auxiliary vessel Golden Eye was fired upon from Sealand.
For a period, Sealand passports were manufactured and sold widely (mostly to Eastern Europeans) by a Spain/Spanish-based group. These passports, which were not authorised by the Bates family, were linked to several high-profile crimes, including the murder of Gianni Versace. Due to the massive quantity of illegal passports in circulation (estimated at 150,000), in 1997 the Bates family revoked all Sealand passports, including those that they themselves had issued in the previous thirty years.
In 1987 the UK expanded its territorial waters by 9 nautical miles. This encompassed the Rough Sands area. In 1990-1991 the UK submitted evidence in a U.S. Administrative Court Case, the ruling for which included a statement to the effect that no independent "Principality of Sealand" had ever existed. This case was not challenged by the Bates family, who assert that U.S. courts have no jurisdiction in determining the legitimacy of other states.
In June 2006, Sealand suffered from a fire due to an electrical fault. The blaze was put out by firefighters, and it was repaired by November. In 2012, Prince Roy died, and was succeeded as Prince of Sealand by his son, Michael.
Government and citizenship
Sealand operates as a constitutional monarchy. It has issued passports (mostly honorary), coins, stamps, and noble titles. From 2000–2010 it briefly hosted HavenCo, an offshore data centre.
Geography
Sealand consists of a single platform (Roughs Tower) with a usable area of about 4,000 m² on two concrete legs rising from the sea.
Economy
Revenue comes from:
- Sale of titles of nobility
- Coins and merchandise
- Media licensing
Recognition
Sealand has diplomatic relations with several other micronations but none with UN member states.
Gallery
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HM Fort Roughs today -
Example Sealand passport (honorary)
