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Fort Roughs was a WWII anti-aircraft platform in international waters, later taken over by Paddy Roy Bates who declared it the Principality of Sealand in 1967. The micro-state still exists today but is officially in British territorial waters and was denied island status by the United Nations in 1994.
Fort Roughs was originally erected in the North Sea approximately seven miles (11km) off the coast of Great Britain during World War II, in international waters. Basically a platform on two concrete pillars rising 60 feet (18m) above sea level, the anti-aircraft gun platform – one of several so-called Fort Maunsells – watched over German air attacks and provided a first line of defense. The forts were decommissioned in the late 1950s and were later commandeered by rock and roll pirate radio entities in the 1960s. One such platform, however, was taken over by Paddy Roy Bates, who created the self-proclaimed Principality of Sealand in 1967, an unrecognized micronation with its own flag, national anthem, currency and postage stamps.
A country in name only:
Bates was a former major in the British Army who declared himself Prince of Sealand. His wife, Joan, was Princess of Sealand, and his son, Michael, inherited the “throne” of the micro-state when Paddy Roy Bates died in 2012.
Bates’ proclamation spurred the British government to destroy the remaining Maunsell Forts lest a similar situation arise, but the UK left Sealand alone.
The Principality of Sealand technically still exists today, but is officially in British territorial waters. Furthermore, the United Nations denied island status to the platform in 1994.
