Water World (20 pics + text)

This photo sea fortress located in the Thames estuary off the coast of North Kent. Several fortresses armed with anti-aircraft guns, radar and searchlights, were built during the Second World War (in 1942) on the draft British engineer Guy Maunsell (Guy Maunsell) in order to prevent German aircraft bombed the British ports and shipping routes to mine. Maunsell has developed two types of sea fortresses: NAVY Forts, which were intended for the Royal Navy, and Army Forts, earmarked respectively for the British Army.





At the mouth of the Thames was located three Army Fortress (Army Forts): Nore (U5), Red Sands (U6) and the Shivering Sands (U7).



Each castle was our largest military base, consisting of seven steel platform- "towers" standing in the sea: the tower and control center located around it five battle towers (one of which has two automatic 40-mm automatic anti-aircraft guns and four others - one heavy 94-mm anti-aircraft gun) and a searchlight tower, which stands somewhat apart.



All the towers were linked by narrow bridges, most of which, in our time, has collapsed into the sea.





Besides the three Army forts in the Thames Estuary, there are four naval fortress (NAVY Forts): Rough Sands (HM Fort Roughs) (U1), Sunk Head (U2), Tongue Sands (U3) and Knock John (U4). These fortresses were only a concrete construction of pontoon barges on which stood two cylindrical towers. On top of these towers were weapons platforms mounted with two automatic 40-mm and two heavy 94-mm anti-aircraft guns.



Marine fortress laid in dry dock, and there are fully assembled. Then fortress towed through the water up to their battle positions where they poluzataplivalis and firmly stood on the bottom.



In 1953 one of the Army fortresses base Nore (U5), was severely damaged when a Norwegian ship Baalbeck collided with her and destroyed the twin towers of the fortress. The collision killed four civilian man in the fortress were badly damaged guns destroyed radar and other equipment. Ruins have been considered as a threat to shipping in 1960, dismantled.



Three years later, as a result of a collision with the ship was lost, one of the towers base Shivering Sands (U7). In 1964, the Port of London Authority searchlight tower isolated from the rest of the fortress and placed her equipment for monitoring the winds and the tides.







In the 1960s, most of the fortresses, which had already been withdrawn from service by the Military Department of the United Kingdom and abandoned, were captured by pirate radio stations. In England, he started the legendary "offshore" radio boom of the 60s.





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However, the era of pirate radio stations did not last long - after the manager of one of these stations was convicted of the murder of his partner, the UK Government has adopted, in 1967, a bill against piracy. Pirate radio stations one by one, were closed.



But the story is not over sea fortresses. September 2, 1967, named Paddy Roy Bates (Paddy Roy Bates) - a retired colonel of the British army selected in 1966, the fort Rough Sands (or HM Fort Roughs, lit.. "Hooligan Tower") for basing his pirate radio station «Britain's Better Music Station "I announced the creation of the territory of the naval fortress of sovereign principality of Sealand (Principality of Sealand) and proclaimed himself Prince Roy I.



In 1968, the British government tried to occupy the young state. To the platform of sea patrol boats approached the fortress, and the prince's family said warning shots into the air. Before the bloodshed is not reached, but against the Prince Roy as a British citizen, started a lawsuit. September 2, 1968 a judge ruled the English county of Essex historic resolution, he acknowledged that the matter is outside the jurisdiction of the British - that is, the de facto recognized the sovereignty of the Principality of Sealand.

Sealand was founded in neutral waters before the entry into force of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea in 1982, which prohibits the construction of man-made structures at sea, and to expand the sovereign UK marine area from 3 to 12 miles in 1987. On the basis of that platform Rafs Tower , which is Sealand, was abandoned and removed from lists of British Admiralty, its activity is considered as colonization. It settled on the settlers believe that had the full right to establish a state and establish a form of government at their discretion.



The Principality of Sealand (via the link - video) lives only five people, but it meets all the criteria of statehood specified in the Montevideo Convention on Rights and Duties of States. Sealand - a constitutional monarchy, the head of which are Prince Roy Bates I and Princess Joan Bates I, although since 1999 the direct power in the principality carries Crown Prince Michael I. At the Principality has its own constitution, flag and coat of arms in Sealand mint its own coins - silendiysky Dollar and release of the brand. In the smallest state in the world even has its own football team.

Principality of Sealand went down in history as the first state in the world burned to the ground - June 23, 2006 due to a short circuit in the generator started a serious fire, which was extinguished with the help provided by the United Kingdom. Restoring an artificial island requires a lot of money and silendiysky monarch, which is connected to the island 40 years of his life, he decided it was time to part with it. The state put up for sale - the starting price of 65 million pounds.

In an attempt to circumvent the international copyright laws, the world's largest BitTorrent tracker The Pirate Bay (lit.. "The Pirate Bay"), in which there are more than three million users for free download from torrent "pirated" software, music, movies and other materials protected copyright, a few years ago launched a campaign to raise funds for the purchase of state of Sealand. "Help us - and you will become a citizen of Sealand!" - Say the pirates.



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