Welcome to Sealand
Issue: 1 Dated: 7th January 2010
The Worlds smallest island known as "The Principality of Sealand"
Having spent January 2003 aboard the Fort here's a preview of a few of the pictures taken
Looking East "Sealand" is based on Roughs Tower, it was the first of four World War 2 Navy forts built on the banks of the Thames in Gravesend Kent at Red Lion Wharf
Looking West construction of fort number 1 Roughs began on 4th September 1941
Originally the fort had a control top-house & radar lookout built on what is now the Heli-Pad
Original plan of the Control Room Deck
Since the removal of the teak radar section & control room in the 1960's the fort has continued to be modified
* The VCD has the whole story
Today there's a powerful crane, a gantry for radar, the weather station, satellite dishes, & the masts for Sealand Radio
At night the fort is lit by high intensity IQ lamps
Original design section of a Navy fort foundation
Hollow pontoons on which the structures were raised to be floated to location & sunk in position
Sinking or rather grounding of Roughs took place on 11th February 1942
Fort number 2 Sunk Head, Tongue 3, & Knock John 4 were built & then grounded throughout the summer of 1943
Sealand Radio gives the position today as 51 53'42" N & 01 28' 51" E
That's around 7 nautical miles of the Suffolk coast "Salty" marks the position on the chart above
A line & tone drawing of a Navy fort in 1943
Elevation showing the landing Dolphin that was constructed as an after thought to aid transfer of the 120 serving ratings officers & supplies
The RiB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) Sealand 1 the fort tender hauled up onto the South main deck end by the former Southend Pier Lifeboat winch
The Navy fort original platform main deck plan
Last original bulwark under the forts East wing looking towards the East Cardinal Buoy
Last of the forts three original 30 KVA Gardner LW generators in deck level 1 (A) of the North Deep leg
Of the others one was cannibalized for spares the block then disposed off & the other found its way into a local fishing boat
All the Wartime forts were all equipped with these units, whilst this one is preserved & functional it's uneconomic to run for long periods
Original plan of deck level 1 (A) the Generator Room
The third generator set would have been in deck level 1 (H) of the South Deep leg
Easy to forget that you're on a fort the swirling winter seas are a reminder
The East & West Cardinal Buoys just off the fort can easily be heard pulling at their mooring chains in heavy seas
Redundant Derrick on North West rear end of fort
See the elevation drawing above for its original location
North West rear end showing wooden Generator House with empty 40 gallon diesel drums
Within Generator House a Perkins with its own AC converter sits between a pair of Gardner 180's
Inside looking along the main deck known as "The Row" from South to North
Sealand Radio by the left of the open galley door
Selective plan of the Navy forts showing how "The Row" was originally designed
Much modified today the Galley remains
The officers cabin & office now comprise the lounge picture below
On Knock John Radio Essex used the office as a small but functional studio
The CO's cabin is the fort office & painted is known as the Blue Room
This was used as the transmitter room on Radio Essex on Knock John
From lower left to right left half of the Crew's WC is now the Shower Room. Crew's Wash, PO's WC's & Wash, Officers Bath & the left Officers WC cubicle are now Sealand Security Crew Cabins. The WC far right remains in use
The lounge on "The Row" at main deck level
Mechanics & engineers store at deck level 2 (B) of the North Deep leg
Machine Room in deck level 2 (I) of the South Deep leg once Roy & Joan's state room
Conference room at deck level 5 (E) of the North Deep leg
Original design of decks 2, 3, 4 & 5 (B,C,D & E)
Original design Magazine deck 6 (F)
Magazine Room at deck level 6 (F) North Deep leg today. Looking through the flash doors from ammunition stowage to the old flooding valves, now used to pump salt water to the heads on the main deck
Original design of Store deck level 7 (G)
North Deep deck level 7 (G) today looking towards the bottom of the lift shaft
Top deck former Bofors gun position looking South towards Essex
Drawings supporting this feature by J A Posford the fort builders from "The Construction of Britain's Sea Forts"
The Principality of Sealand the Forts website, history, pictures, current weather & Haven Co navigate from here or the logo above
This is part one of a two part feature on Sealand both contain only a small sample of the pictures continues in Sealand Two
Additional material provided by Michael Barrington
Article approved for release by Prince Michael of Sealand
Just a long overdue thank you for sending my order for the Sealand VCD. I can't begin to tell you how much I enjoyed it. I wait to see what your next production will be maybe a compilation disc of all your wonderful offshore photos would be very nice. Thanks again Phil Grainger
Loved looking at your web site today, I am fascinated by Sealand and also the Maunsell Forts. Is it still possible to get onto the Red Sands Forts? I would love to try. Also, have you ever been on Gunfleet? Best regards Andrew
Hi Andrew, Thanks for your mail & nice comments. All of the forts ladders are all but rusted away, but 1 or 2 of the towers are in isolation on Red & Shivering Sands very difficult & dangerous to board so not advised. The catwalks between them incidentally were pulled down with grappling hooks by the ministry in the 70's. The only other remaining Navy Tower Knock John which is virtually impossible to board
Boarding Red Sands Southern Gun Tower when we're aboard, Re-Gunfleet no not boarded but sailed past it. N.B There are Towers of a similar design to Gunfleet off Harwich, one actually just a few metres off the foreshore
Thanks for the Sealand VCD, I thought it was brilliant enjoyed the tour of the fort very much. Amazing it's still there and being used. Ted
I am facinated with things to do with Sealand. It was a bold step to claim it and an ardurous task to maintain it all these years. John Wright, Nashville, TN