Sealand: The World's Tiniest Nation on a WWII Sea Fort

Sealand, a micronation on a WWII sea fort off Suffolk, was founded in 1967 by Paddy Roy Bates who defended its independence. Once a British defense platform, it now asserts autonomy with few residents.

The World’s Smallest Country in the Middle of the Ocean: The Principality of Sealand

What is Sealand?

• Sealand is a self-declared micronation based on Roughs Tower, an abandoned World War II sea fort in the North Sea.
• The fort is located about 11 kilometers off the Suffolk coast.
• In 1967, Paddy Roy Bates and his associates took over the structure and claimed it as an independent state.
• Bates initially intended to use it for pirate radio broadcasting.
• He ended up establishing his own “Principality of Sealand.”
• Sealand was defended against rival broadcasters and the British Royal Navy with weapons and petrol bombs.
• The UK extended territorial waters later, technically placing Sealand within British jurisdiction.
• Sealand continues to assert its independence.
• As of August 2024, it has just one permanent resident.

History

• Built in 1943 as part of the Maunsell Forts.
• Roughs Tower was a World War II defense platform protecting shipping lanes from German mines.
• It featured a floating pontoon base with two hollow towers supporting a deck.
• The fort was towed to the Rough Sands sandbar and sunk into place.
• Positioned 7 nautical miles off Suffolk, it lay outside the UK’s territorial waters at the time.
• Manned by 150–300 people