Principality of Sealand

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Principality of Sealand
Micronation

Flag
Coat of Arms
Motto: E Mare Libertas
(English: From the Sea, Freedom)
Anthem: "E Mare Libertas"by Basil Simonenko
Status Current
Location of Principality of Sealand
Area claimed 4,000 m2
Membership 27 (2002)
Date of foundation September 2, 1967
Purported organisational structure Constitutional monarchy
Language English
Purported currency Sealand dollar (pegged in value to USD)
Currency code SX$
Capital Sealand
Ethnic groups European, North American
Demonym Sealander
Claimed GDP US$600,000 (US$22,200 per capita)[1]
Time Zone GMT

The Principality of Sealand is a micronation located on HM Fort Roughs, a former World War II Maunsell Sea Fort in the North Sea 10 km (six miles) off the coast of Suffolk, England, United Kingdom.

Since 1967, the facility has been occupied by former radio broadcaster British Army Major Paddy Roy Bates; his associates and family claim that it is an independent sovereign state.[2] External commentators generally classify Sealand as a micronation.[3][4][5] It has been described as the world's best-known micronation.[6]

Sealand is not recognized as a sovereign state by any United Nations member. Citing court rulings in the United States and in Germany, critics have asserted that Roughs Tower has always remained under the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] History of HM Fort Roughs

Main article: HM Fort Roughs

In 1942, during World War II, HM Fort Roughs was constructed by the United Kingdom as one of the Maunsell Forts, primarily for defence against German mine-laying aircraft that might be targeting the estuaries that were part of vital shipping lanes. 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 the Rough Sands sandbar, where its base was intentionally flooded to allow it to sink to its final resting place on the sandbar. The location chosen was in international waters, approximately six miles from the coast of Suffolk, outside the then three-mile territorial water claim of the United Kingdom.

The facility (called Roughs Tower or HM Fort Roughs) was occupied by 150–300 Royal Navy personnel throughout World War II;[7] not until well after the war, in 1956, were the last full-time personnel taken off HM Fort Roughs.

[edit] Occupation by Roy Bates and the establishment of Sealand

The Principality of Sealand
The Principality of Sealand

On September 2, 1967, the fort (with a habitable area of 550 square metre (5920 sq ft))[citation needed] was occupied by Major Paddy Roy Bates, a British subject and pirate radio broadcaster, who ejected a competing group of pirate broadcasters.[8] Bates intended to broadcast his pirate radio station Radio Essex from the platform.

In 1968, the Royal Navy entered what Bates claimed to be his territorial waters in order 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 former fort. As Bates was a British subject at the time, he was summoned to court in England following the incident.[9] The court ruled that as the platform (which Bates was now calling "Sealand") was outside British jurisdiction, being beyond the then three-mile limit of the country's waters,[10] the case could not proceed.

In 1975, Bates introduced a constitution for Sealand, followed by a flag, a national anthem, a currency and passports.

[edit] Forcible takeover

In 1978, while Bates was away, the Prime Minister of Sealand, Professor Alexander G. Achenbach, and several German and Dutch citizens, staged a forcible takeover of Roughs Tower,[11] 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 Achenbach, a German lawyer who held a Sealand passport, was charged with treason against Sealand,[11] and was held unless he paid DM 75,000 (more than US$ 35,000). 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 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.[12]

Following his repatriation, Achenbach established a "government in exile" in Germany,[11] in opposition to Roy Bates, assuming the name "Chairman of the Privy Council". He handed the position to Johannes Seiger in 1989 due to illness. Seiger continues to claim — via his website — that he is Sealand's legitimate ruling authority.[13]

[edit] 1990s

In an incident in 1990, the Royal Maritime Auxiliary vessel Golden Eye was fired upon from Sealand in defense of their claim to the waters surrounding Roughs Tower to the extent of twelve nautical miles.[14]

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.[15]

[edit] 2000s

Sealand several months after the fire.
Sealand several months after the fire.

On the afternoon of 23 June 2006, the top platform of the Roughs Tower caught fire due to an electrical failure. An RAF rescue helicopter transferred one person to Ipswich hospital, directly from the tower. The Harwich lifeboat stood by the Roughs Tower until a local fire tug extinguished the fire.[16] All damages were repaired by November 2006.[17]

In 2007, Sealand was offered for sale through Spanish estate company InmoNaranja.[18][19] However, because a principality cannot technically be sold, Sealand's current owners plan to transfer "custodianship".[20] The asking price is between £65,000,000 and £504,000,000 (€750 m, according to the BBC [18]). [21][22] Sealand also holds the Guinness World Record for "the smallest area to lay claim to nation status".[23] Plans for an online casino have been announced.[24]

[edit] Legal status of Sealand

Main article: Legal status of Sealand
Map of Sealand and the United Kingdom, with territorial water claims of 3 NM and 12 NM shown.
Map of Sealand and the United Kingdom, with territorial water claims of 3 NM and 12 NM shown.

The claim that Sealand is an independent sovereign state is based on the following contentions:

  1. That when Paddy Roy Bates and his associates occupied Roughs Tower/HM Fort Roughs in 1967, it was located in international waters, outside the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom and all other sovereign states, thus constituting terra nullius which could be settled and claimed by a new State. (This is the basis of the claim for de jure legitimacy).
  2. That interactions by the UK and the German Governments and the occupants of Sealand/Roughs Tower constitute de facto recognition of the territory's sovereignty. However, the concerned States deny this proposition.
  3. That a 1968 decision of an English court, in which it was held that Roughs Tower was in international waters and thus outside the jurisdiction of the domestic courts, is a further de facto recognition of Sealand's sovereignty.[25]

In international law, the two most common schools of thought for the creation of statehood are the constitutive and declaratory theories of state creation. The constitutive theory was the standard nineteenth century model of statehood, and the declaratory theory was developed in the twentieth century to address shortcomings of the constitutive theory. In the constitutive theory, a state exists exclusively via recognition by other states. The theory splits on whether this recognition requires "diplomatic recognition" or merely "recognition of existence". No other state grants Sealand official recognition, but it has been argued by Bates that negotiations carried out by Germany constituted "recognition of existence". In the declaratory theory of statehood, an entity becomes a state as soon as it meets the minimal criteria for statehood[clarify]. Recognition by other states is purely "declaratory".[26]

Arguments against sovereignty include that Sealand is not a real island, and does not count as a territory.

[edit] Sealand as a statelike entity

Prince Roy and Princess Joan Bates claimed Sealand as their own in 1967.
Prince Roy and Princess Joan Bates claimed Sealand as their own in 1967.

Irrespective of its legal status, Sealand is managed by the Bates family as though it were a recognised sovereign entity, and they are its hereditary royal rulers.

Roy Bates styles himself "Prince Roy" and his wife "Princess Joan". Their son is known as "His Royal Highness Prince Michael" and has been referred to as the "Prince Regent" by the Bates family since 1999.[27] In this role he apparently serves as Sealand's acting "Head of State" and also its "Head of Government".[28] At a micronations conference hosted by the University of Sunderland in 2004, Sealand was represented by Michael Bates's son James, who was referred to as "Prince Royal James".[29]

The Bates' are all believed to retain UK citizenship, and the family has not been in permanent residence on the Roughs Tower facility since 1999.[citation needed] The facility is now occupied by one or more caretakers representing Michael Bates, who himself lives in Essex, England.[30]

Sealand's constitution was instituted in 1974. It consists of a preamble and seven articles. The preamble asserts Sealand's independence, while the articles variously deal with Sealand's status as a constitutional monarchy, the empowerment of government bureaus, the role of an appointed, advisory Senate, the functions of an appointed, advisory legal tribunal, a proscription against the bearing of arms except by members of a designated "Sealand Guard," the exclusive right of the sovereign to formulate foreign policy and alter the constitution, and the hereditary patrilinear succession of the monarchy.[31] Sealand's legal system is claimed to follow British common law, and statutes take the form of Decrees enacted by the Sovereign.[32]

Sealand has issued passports and has operated as a flag of convenience state (see #Commercial and other operations).

Sealand's motto is E Mare Libertas (English: From the Sea, Freedom).[33] It appears on Sealandic items, such as stamps, passports, and coins and is the title of the Sealandic anthem. The anthem was composed by Londoner Basil Simonenko;[34] it does not have lyrics.

[edit] Commercial and other 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". Sealand also had an official website and publishes an online newspaper, Sealand News.[35] In addition, a number of amateur athletes "represent" Sealand in sporting events.

According to Sealand News,[36] a movie called Sealand is in development for release in 2008.[37]

As of 11 February 2007 Sealand is taking bookings for tourist visits.[38]

[edit] Legal instruments

For a period, Sealand camouflage passports were mass-manufactured and sold widely by a Spanish-based group believed to be associated with the "exile government" under Seiger. These passports, which the Bates family say were not authorized by them,[15] were linked to several high-profile crimes. All passports were revoked by Roy Bates in 1997.[39]

In a 1990 court case[citation needed] in the United States regarding registering ships in Sealand (as a flag of convenience), the court ruled against allowing Sealand flagged vessels; the case was never contested by the Bates'.

[edit] Coins and stamps

Main article: Coins and postage stamps of Sealand
80c stamp from the Principality of Sealand.
80c stamp from the Principality of Sealand.

Several dozen different Sealand coins have been minted since 1972. Most were produced in precious metals so as to appeal to investors and coin collectors.[citation needed] In the early 1990s, Achenbach's German group also produced a coin, featuring a likeness of "Prime Minister Seiger".[40]

Sealand's coins and postage stamps are denominated in "Sealand Dollars", which it deems to be at parity with the U.S. dollar.[citation needed]

Sealand first issued postage stamps in 1969, when a helicopter service was instituted to carry mail between Roughs Tower and Brussels.[citation needed] A significant volume of mail carrying Sealand stamps and postmarks was accepted without surcharge and passed by Belgian postal authorities into the international postal system at that time.[citation needed]

Sealand stamps are classified as "locals";[citation needed] such stamps are issued by private entities and are valid for the carriage of mail between a location that lacks a regular postal service and a location from which the onward transmission of such mail occurs. Although few[vague] stamp issues have been made since early 1970s, Sealand postage stamps and postal cancellations continue to be used on most if not all mail from Fort Roughs.[citation needed] Furthermore, as Sealand is not a member of the Universal Postal Union, its inward address is a PO Box in the United Kingdom.[41]

Sealandic coins, from left to right: Half Dollar, Silver One Dollar and Quarter Dollar
Sealandic coins, from left to right: Half Dollar, Silver One Dollar and Quarter Dollar

[edit] Natural resources

Several greenhouses have been erected on Sealand in order to produce vegetables and fruits for export and for the personal consumption of inhabitants. Using the black tarmac, and the constant direct daytime sunlight, a variety of tropical fruits have been successfully grown on Sealand and sold in markets in Felixstowe and Harwich. A failed attempt to make salt led to the death of Robert Jacob Brown in 1978. Since then the salt-making venture has been abandoned.[citation needed]

[edit] HavenCo

Main article: HavenCo

In 2000, worldwide publicity was created about Sealand following the establishment of a new entity called HavenCo, a data haven, which effectively took control of Roughs Tower itself. However Ryan Lackey, HavenCo's founder, later quit and claimed that Bates had lied to him by keeping the 1990-1991 court case from him and that as a result he had lost the money he had invested in the venture.[citation needed]

[edit] Sports and activities

Sealand has official national athletes, including non-Sealanders. These athletes take part in various sports, including pole-dancing, mini-golf and football.[42] Sealand is actually a member of the Nouvelle Fédération-Board, a football sanctioning body for non-recognized states and states not members of FIFA.

Sealand's first official athlete was Darren Blackburn of Oakville, Ontario, Canada, who was appointed in 2003. Blackburn has represented Sealand at a number of local sporting events, including marathons and off-trail races.[43] Sealand's official U-20 National Football team is coached by American high school soccer coach Rory Miller and is mostly composed of players from his current and recent past roster at Muhlenberg North High School in Greenville, Kentucky. Mountaineer Slader Oviatt carried the Sealandic flag to the top of Muztagh Ata in 2004.[44] Since 16 December 2007, the Yorkshire-based airsoft team "SART" (Sheffield Armed Response Team)[45] represents the Principality at airsoft games as its national team. Also in 2007, Michael Martelle represented the Principality of Sealand in the World Cup of Kung Fu, held in Quebec City, Canada; bearing the designation of Athleta Principalitas Bellatorius (Principal Martial Arts Athlete and Champion), Martelle won two silver medals, becoming the first-ever Sealand athlete to appear on a world championship podium.[46]

The Principality is also represented at the Destination ImagiNation Global Finals by the team from Dobbs Ferry High School in Dobbs Ferry, New York. The team members carried the Sealand flag in the 2007 DI Global Finals Opening Ceremony, and plan to do so again at the 2008 event.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Information on the Principality of Sealand including GDP (PDF). Summit of Micronations. Retrieved on 2007-11-13.[unreliable source?]
  2. ^ History of Sealand. Government of Sealand. Retrieved on 2007-11-11.
  3. ^ John Ryan, George Dunford & Simon Sellars (2006). Micronations. Lonely Planet, pp8-13. ISBN 1-74104-730-7. 
  4. ^ Micronations: What on Earth Are They?. Sealand News. Retrieved on 2008-01-10.
  5. ^ Retire in Sealand. Sealand News. Retrieved on 2008-01-10.
  6. ^ Sellars , Simon, JOURNEYS – THE SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY: Simon Sellars braves wind and waves to visit the unlikely North Sea nation of Sealand, The Australian, 10 November 2007. Retrieved 10 January 2008.
  7. ^ Project Redsand information on offshore defences. Project Redsand. Retrieved on 2007-11-13.[unreliable source?]
  8. ^ According to Ryan, p9, in 1967 Ronan O'Rahilly, supported by a small group of men, attempted to storm the fort. Paddy Roy Bates successfully defended the fort.
  9. ^ "Welcome to Sealand. Now Bugger Off", Wired News, July 2000. Retrieved on 2007-11-11. 
  10. ^ Regina v. Paddy Roy Bates and Michael Roy Bates, The Shire Hall, Chelmsford, 25 October 1968. Regina v. Paddy Roy Bates and Michael Roy Bates. The Shire Hall, Chelmsford. Retrieved on 2007-11-11.
  11. ^ a b c John Ryan, George Dunford & Simon Sellars (2006). Micronations. Lonely Planet, p11. ISBN 1-74104-730-7. 
  12. ^ John Ryan, George Dunford & Simon Sellars (2006). Micronations. Lonely Planet, p11. ISBN 1-74104-730-7. 
  13. ^ Homepage of Sealandic Government in Exile. Sealandic Government in Exile. Retrieved on 2007-11-13.[unreliable source?]
  14. ^ James Cusick. "The Independent news story on Sealand's defense", The Independent (London), 1990-02-24. Retrieved on 2007-11-09. 
  15. ^ a b According to Ryan, p11, unofficial Sealand passports did exist but the Bates family claim to have never authorized the sale of these passports.
  16. ^ Bob Le-Roi. Sealand on Fire. Retrieved on 2006-06-25.[unreliable source?]
  17. ^ Church and East renovation completion. Church and East. Retrieved on 2006.[unreliable source?]
  18. ^ a b "'Smallest state' seeks new owners", BBC, 2007-01-08. Retrieved on 2007-01-08. 
  19. ^ "Tiny North Sea tax haven for sale", ABC News, 2007-01-08. Retrieved on 2007-01-08. 
  20. ^ "News story on Sealand transfer", News.com.au, 2007-01-08. Retrieved on 2007-01-08. 
  21. ^ "Evening Star", Evening Star, 2007-01-06. Retrieved on 2007-01-06. 
  22. ^ "For sale, World's smallest country", The Sydney Morning Herald, 2007-01-08. Retrieved on 2007-01-08. 
  23. ^ (2007) Guinness World Records 2008. Guinness World Records, p131. ISBN 9781904994183. 
  24. ^ theRegister.
  25. ^ Official History of Sealand. Government of Principality of Sealand. Retrieved on 12 January 2007.[unreliable source?]
  26. ^ Ryan, John; George Dunford, Simon Sellars (2006). Micronations, The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations. Lonely Planet, p5-6. ISBN 1741047307. 
  27. ^ Information on Sealand's royal family. Sealand News. Retrieved on 2007-11-13.
  28. ^ John Ryan, George Dunford & Simon Sellars (2006). Micronations. Lonely Planet, p8. ISBN 1-74104-730-7. 
  29. ^ Information on Sealand's royal family. Government of Principality of Sealand. Retrieved on 2007-11-11.[unreliable source?]
  30. ^ Information on Sealand's royal family. Sealand News. Retrieved on 2007-11-13.
  31. ^ Information on the Principality of Sealand including constitution (PDF). Amorph Summit of Micronations. Retrieved on 2007-11-09.[unreliable source?]
  32. ^ The Principality of Sealand statutory notices. Government of the Principality of Sealand. Retrieved on 2006-07-27.
  33. ^ Note that this is not "normal" Latin; "mari" would be more correct.
  34. ^ Sealandic National Anthem. Nationalanthems.info. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.[unreliable source?]
  35. ^ Sealand News. Sealand News. Retrieved on 2007-11-11.
  36. ^ "Sealand News report on Sealand (2008 film)", Sealand News, 2007-02-28. Retrieved on 2007-02-28. 
  37. ^ Overview on Sealand (2008 film). The Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2007-07-01.
  38. ^ Sealand tourist visits press release. Retrieved on 2007-06-23.
  39. ^ John Ryan, George Dunford & Simon Sellars (2006). Micronations. Lonely Planet, p11. ISBN 1-74104-730-7. 
  40. ^ The Imperial Collection - Principality of Sealand. Empire of Atlantium. Retrieved on 2007-11-11.[unreliable source?]
  41. ^ Royal Mail address for Sealand. Royal Mail. Retrieved on 2007-11-10.
  42. ^ Homepage of the Sealand National Football Team (Danish). Sealand National Football Team. Retrieved on 2007-11-09.[unreliable source?]
  43. ^ Principality Notice PN 025/04: International Sporting Activities update.. Government of the Principality of Sealand. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.[unreliable source?]
  44. ^ Principality Notice PN 025/04: International Sporting Activities update.. Government of the Principality of Sealand. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.[unreliable source?]
  45. ^ http://wiki.airsoftcommunity.co.uk/Sart][http://www.freewebs.com/team-sart/
  46. ^ Programme Souvenir Legal

To find out information from the head of state, please e-mail hos@sealandgov.org. The prince himself can be reached at michael@fruitsofthesea.demon.co.uk. He loves to hear from people about the goings on in the principality.

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] External links

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Flag of Principality of Sealand The Principality of Sealand Flag of Principality of Sealand

Coordinates: 51°53′40″N, 1°28′57″E