Principality of Sealand explained

Principality of Sealand
Image Map2:File:Sealand fortress.jpg
Map Caption2:Aerial view of Sealand in 2006
Claimed By:Paddy Roy Bates, Michael Bates
Area Claimed:Offshore platform off the coast of England (0.004 sq km)[1]
Official Website:https://sealandgov.org
Area Km2:0.0004

The Principality of Sealand is a micronation on HM Fort Roughs (also known as Roughs Tower),[2] an offshore platform in the North Sea approximately 12km (07miles) off the coast of Suffolk, England.[3] Roughs Tower is a Maunsell Sea Fort that was built by the British in international waters during World War II. Since 1967, the decommissioned Roughs Tower has been occupied and claimed as a sovereign state by the family and associates of Paddy Roy Bates. Bates seized Roughs Tower from a group of pirate radio broadcasters in 1967 with the intention of setting up his own station there. Bates and his associates have repelled incursions from vessels from rival pirate radio stations and the U.K.'s Royal Navy using firearms and petrol bombs.[4] [5] In 1987, the United Kingdom extended its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles, which places the platform in British territory. As of August 2024, Sealand's only permanent resident and self-described reigning monarch is Michael Roy Bates, son of Paddy Roy Bates.[6]

History

See also: HM Fort Roughs.

In 1943, during World War II, Roughs Tower was constructed by the United Kingdom as one of the Maunsell Forts,[7] primarily to defend the vital shipping lanes in nearby estuaries against German mine-laying aircraft. It consisted of 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 deliberately flooded to sink it on its final resting place. This is approximately 7nmi from the coast of Suffolk, outside the then 30NaN0 claim of the United Kingdom and, therefore, in international waters at the time.[7] The facility was occupied by 150–300 Royal Navy personnel throughout World War II; the last full-time personnel left in 1956.[7] The Maunsell Forts were decommissioned in the 1950s.[8]

Occupation and establishment

Roughs Tower was occupied in February and August 1965 by Jack Moore and his daughter Jane, squatting on behalf of the pirate station Wonderful Radio London.

On 2 September 1967, the fort was occupied by Major Paddy Roy Bates, a British citizen and the owner of a pirate radio station, who ejected the competing group of pirate broadcasters.[9] Bates intended to broadcast his pirate radio station – called Radio Essex – from the platform.[10] Despite having the necessary equipment, he never began broadcasting.[11] Bates declared the independence of Roughs Tower and deemed it the Principality of Sealand.[9]

In 1968, British workmen entered what Bates claimed to be his territorial waters 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 fort. As Bates was a British subject at the time, he was summoned to court in England on firearms charges following the incident.[12] The court ruled that the platform (which Bates was now calling Sealand) was outside British territorial limits, being beyond the 30NaN0 limit which then applied to the country's waters. As a result, the case could not proceed as it was not within British jurisdiction.[13] [14] Bates considers this Sealand's first instance of de facto recognition.In 1975, Bates introduced a constitution for Sealand, followed by a national flag, a national anthem, a currency, passports, and an immigration stamp.[3]

1978 attack and Sealand Rebel Government

In August 1978, Alexander Achenbach, who described himself as the Prime Minister of Sealand, hired several German and Dutch mercenaries to lead an attack on Sealand while Bates and his wife were in Austria invited by Achenbach to discuss the sale of Sealand. Achenbach had disagreed with Bates over plans to turn Sealand into a luxury hotel and casino with fellow German and Dutch businessmen.[15] They stormed the platform and took Bates's son, Michael Bates, hostage. Michael was able to retake Sealand and capture Achenbach and the mercenaries. Achenbach, a German lawyer who held a Sealand passport, was charged with treason against Sealand,[16] and was held unless he paid DM 75,000 (more than US$35,000 or £23,000).[17] Germany then sent a diplomat from its London embassy to Sealand 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.[18]

Following his repatriation, Achenbach and Gernot Pütz proclaimed a government in exile, sometimes known as the Sealand Rebel Government or Sealandic Rebel Government, in Germany.[18]

Expansion of British territorial waters

In 1987, the United Kingdom extended its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles, which put Sealand in waters internationally recognised as British.

Sealand previously sold fantasy passports (as termed by the Council of the European Union), which are not valid for international travel.[19] In 1997, the Bates family revoked all Sealand passports, including those that they themselves had issued over the previous 22 years, due to the realisation that an international money laundering ring had appeared, using the sale of fake Sealand passports to finance drug trafficking and money laundering from Russia and Iraq.[20] The ringleaders of the operation, based in Madrid but with ties to various groups in Germany—including to the rebel Sealand Government in exile established by Achenbach—had used fake Sealandic diplomatic passports and number plates. They were reported to have sold 4,000 fake Sealandic passports to Hong Kong citizens for an estimated $1,000 each.[21] Michael Bates stated in late 2016 that Sealand was receiving hundreds of applications for passports every day.[22]

In 2015, Bates asserted that Sealand's population is "normally like two people".[23]

2006 fire

On the afternoon of 23 June 2006, the top platform of the Roughs Tower caught fire due to an electrical fault. A Royal Air Force 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.[24] All damage was repaired by November 2006.[25]

Attempted sales

In January 2007, The Pirate Bay, an online index of digital content of entertainment media and software founded by the Swedish think tank Swedish: [[Piratbyrån]]|italic=no, attempted to purchase Sealand after harsher copyright measures in Sweden forced them to look for a base of operations elsewhere.[26] Between 2007 and 2010, Sealand was offered for sale through the Spanish estate company InmoNaranja,[27] at an asking price of €750 million (£600 million, US$906 million).[28] [29] [30]

Death of founder

Roy Bates died at the age of 91 on 9 October 2012 after a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease several years earlier.[31] His son Michael took over the operation of Sealand,[32] [33] although he continued to live in Suffolk,[34] where he and his sons were operating a family fishing business called Fruits of the Sea.[35] Joan Bates, Roy Bates's wife, died in an Essex nursing home at the age of 86 on 10 March 2016.[36]

Legal status

In 1987, the UK extended its territorial waters from 3to, bringing Sealand into British territorial waters.[37] In the opinion of law academic John Gibson, there is little to no chance that Sealand would be recognised as a nation due to it being a man-made structure.[37]

In 2008, the Guinness World Records recognised Sealand as "the smallest area to lay claim to nation status".[38]

Recognition

Sealand is not officially recognised by any established sovereign state. Nonetheless, the Sealand government claims it has been de facto recognised by the United Kingdom and Germany, on account of a UK court ruling and Germany's dispatch of a diplomat to Sealand.[18]

Administration

Irrespective of its legal status, Sealand is managed by the Bates family as if it were a recognised sovereign entity and they are its hereditary royal rulers. Roy Bates styled himself as Prince Roy and his wife Princess Joan. Their son had been referred to as the Prince Regent by the Bates family between 1999 and Roy's death in 2012.[39] In this role, he apparently served as Sealand's acting Head of State and also its Head of Government.[40]

At a micronations conference hosted by the University of Sunderland in 2004, Sealand was represented by Michael Bates's son James. The facility is now occupied by one or more caretakers representing Michael Bates, who himself resides in Essex, England.[39]

Business 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.[41] [42] The principality also sells noble titles on its online store, such as Lord and Baron. Some notable individuals who possess titles from Sealand include Ed Sheeran, Terry Wogan and Ben Fogle.[43]

In 2000, 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. Ryan Lackey, Haven's co-founder and a key participant in the country, left HavenCo under acrimonious circumstances in 2002, citing disagreements with the Bates family over management of the company. The HavenCo website went offline in 2008.[44]

Sports

The Sealand National Football Association (SNFA) was an associate member of the Nouvelle Fédération-Board, a football sanctioning body for non-recognised states and states not members of FIFA, which became inactive in 2013 and replaced by the Confederation of Independent Football Associations (CONIFA). The SNFA administers the Sealand national football team. In 2004, the national team played its first international game against Åland Islands national football team, drawing 2–2.[45]

In 2004, mountaineer Slader Oviatt carried the Sealandic flag to the top of Muztagh Ata.[46] 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).[47]

In 2008, Sealand hosted a skateboarding event with Church and East sponsored by Red Bull.[48] [49] [50]

In 2009, Sealand announced the revival of the Sealand National Football Association and their intention to compete in a future Viva World Cup. Scottish author Neil Forsyth was appointed as President of the Association.[51] Sealand played the second game in their history against Chagos Islands on 5 May 2012, losing 3–1. The team included actor Ralf Little and former Bolton Wanderers defender Simon Charlton.[52] The team played their most recent game in 2014, and have been inactive since then.

In 2009 and 2010, Sealand sent teams to play in various ultimate club tournaments in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Netherlands. They finished in 11th place at UK nationals in 2010.[53]

On 22 May 2013, the mountaineer Kenton Cool placed a Sealand flag at the summit of Mount Everest.[54]

In 2015, Simon Messenger ran a half-marathon on Sealand as part of his "round the world in 80 runs" challenge.[55]

On 20 August 2018, competitive swimmer Richard Royal swam the from Sealand to the mainland of the UK, finishing in 3 hours, 29 minutes. Royal visited the platform before the swim, getting his passport stamped. He entered the water from the bosun's chair, signaling the start of the swim, and finished on Felixstowe beach. Royal was subsequently awarded a Sealand Knighthood by Michael Bates.[56] On 18 August 2018, two days before Royal's swim, a man named Nick Glendinning became the first to make the swim from Sealand to the mainland by swimming from Roughs Tower to Bawdsey. He completed the trip in just under five hours. Glendinning claims the timing of his run was coincidental, but Royal disagreed, saying in response to Glendinning's comments that, "There's no way in the world that this is a coincidence".[57]

An American football team named the Sealand Seahawks were formed in 2021, announcing a game in Ireland against the South Dublin Panthers on 19 February 2022. The Seahawks won the game 42–13.[58] [59] In September 2022, the Seahawks took several teams to Montpellier, France, to play against the France Royal Roosters, whereas a veteran team took on the Servals de Clermont-Ferrand.[60]

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: MacEacherhan . Mike . Sealand: A peculiar ‘nation’ off England’s coast . 14 August 2024 . Yes . BBC . 1 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220101195534/https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20200706-sealand-a-peculiar-nation-off-englands-coast . live .
  2. News: Cawley . Laurence . 2017-09-02 . The off-shore fort 'state' of Sealand marks 50 years . en-GB . . BBC . 4 September 2023 . 4 September 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230904014535/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-suffolk-41135081 . live .
  3. News: MacEacheran . Mike . Sealand: A peculiar 'nation' off England's coast . 23 September 2020 . . BBC . 5 July 2020 . en . 30 September 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200930011526/http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20200706-sealand-a-peculiar-nation-off-englands-coast . live .
  4. News: McCrea . Aisling . 2020-01-30 . No Man Is An Island? . 2024-01-10 . Current Affairs . en . 2471-2647 . 10 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240110193041/https://www.currentaffairs.org/2020/01/no-man-is-an-island . live .
  5. Ryan, John; Dunford, George; Sellars, Simon. Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations, Lonely Planet Publications, 2006, pp. 9–12.
  6. Web site: Wertheim . Jon . 2024-08-04 . Sealand, world's smallest state, has just 1 permanent resident 60 Minutes - CBS News . 2024-08-14 . www.cbsnews.com . en-US . 14 August 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240814092512/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/micronation-sealand-bates-royal-family-60-minutes-transcript/ . live .
  7. Book: Zumerchik, John . Seas and Waterways of the World: An Encyclopedia of History, Uses, and Issues . ABC-CLIO . 2008 . 978-1-85109-711-1 . 563 . 12 January 2021 . 19 August 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240819195314/https://books.google.com/books?id=IBKoUXrF5p0C&pg=PA563 . live .
  8. Web site: Milligan . Markus . 2020-05-20 . The Maunsell Sea Forts . HeritageDaily Archaeology News . en-US . 20 November 2020 . 28 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201128145901/https://www.heritagedaily.com/2020/05/the-maunsell-sea-forts/122564 . live .
  9. Book: Ryan . John . Micronations . Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations . Dunford . George . Sellars . Simon . Lonely Planet . 2006 . 978-1-74104-730-1 . 9.
  10. News: Gould . Jack . 25 March 1966 . 24 March . Radio: British Commercial Broadcasters Are at Sea; Illegal Programs Are Beamed From Ships . . subscription . 19 December 2015 . . dmy-all . 22 December 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151222170906/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E06E6DC1E39E735A75756C2A9659C946791D6CF . live .
  11. Web site: Radio Essex . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140917092141/http://www.offshoreechos.com/forts/radio_essex.htm . Sep 17, 2014 . Offshore Echos.
  12. Garfinkel . Simson . July 1, 2000 . Welcome to Sealand. Now Bugger Off. . en-US . . 1059-1028 . 4 September 2023 . 22 April 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210422113913/https://www.wired.com/2000/07/haven-2/ . live .
  13. Regina v. Paddy Roy Bates and Michael Roy Bates. The Shire Hall, Chelmsford. 25 October 1968. https://www.benvenutiasealand.it/documenti/1968-sealand-in-tribunale-sealand-british-court-case/. https://web.archive.org/web/20230904014542/https://www.benvenutiasealand.it/documenti/1968-sealand-in-tribunale-sealand-british-court-case/. live.
  14. McConnell . Fiona . Moreau . Terri . Dittmer . Jason . 2012-06-01 . Mimicking state diplomacy: The legitimizing strategies of unofficial diplomacies . Geoforum . Space, Contestation and the Political . 43 . 4 . 804–814 . 10.1016/j.geoforum.2012.01.007 . 0016-7185 . free . 4 September 2023 . 4 September 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230904014535/https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1334910/ . live .
  15. Web site: Payne . Adam . Mar 2, 2017 . WELCOME TO SEALAND: The utterly bizarre independent micronation that's been sitting off the British coast for over 50 years . . en-US . 3 April 2019 . 3 April 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190403231349/https://www.businessinsider.com/the-history-of-micronation-sealand-2017-3 . live .
  16. 171: Sealand . Criminal . . 2021-08-27 . 29 August 2021 . 30 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210830095350/https://thisiscriminal.com/episode-171-sealand-8-27-21/ . live .
  17. News: Attempt to free captive from private 'island' fails . 5 September 1978 . 3 . The Times.
  18. Book: Ryan . John . Micronations . Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations . Dunford . George . Sellars . Simon . Lonely Planet . 2006 . 978-1-74104-730-1 . 11.
  19. Web site: 2010-06-17 . Table of travel documents entitling the holder to cross the external borders and which may be endorsed with a visa - (Parts II and III) and Part V (documents to which visas cannot be affixed) .
  20. News: Gooch . Adela . 2000-04-12 . Police swoop on Sealand crime ring . en-GB . . 0261-3077 . 13 February 2019 . 14 February 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190214002821/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2000/apr/12/3 . live .
  21. Web site: Boggan . Steve . 1997-09-23 . Money Laundering: Global fraudsters use sea fortress as passport to . . en . 12 March 2022 . 13 February 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200213052845/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/money-laundering-global-fraudsters-use-sea-fortress-as-passport-to-riches-1240742.html . live .
  22. Web site: 2017-01-17 . Sealand swamped by passport applications after Brexit and Trump . . en . 8 October 2019 . 6 April 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200406113625/https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/755158/Sealand-passport-applications-Brexit-Donald-Trump . live .
  23. Web site: Eveleth . Rose . Rose Eveleth . 2015-04-14 . 'I rule my own ocean micronation' . . BBC . 20 November 2020 . 28 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201128115955/https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20150414-i-rule-my-own-ocean-micronation . live .
  24. News: 2006-06-23 . Blaze at offshore military fort . en-GB . . BBC . 2023-09-04 . 30 May 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120530054922/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/5110244.stm . live .
  25. Web site: Sealand Renovation Update 4 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140304151403/http://www.churchandeast.co.uk/Sealand%20update%204.html . 4 March 2014 . Church and East .
  26. News: Graham . Flora . 16 February 2009 . Technology: How The Pirate Bay sailed into infamy . . BBC . 16 February 2009 . 19 April 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090419012716/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7893223.stm . live .
  27. News: 2007-01-08 . Tiny North Sea tax haven for sale . en-AU . . Australian Broadcasting Corporation . . 4 September 2023 . 4 September 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230904014537/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2007-01-08/tiny-north-sea-tax-haven-for-sale/2168134 . live .
  28. Web site: 2007-01-06 . £65m price tag for Sealand tenancy . . en . 4 September 2023 . 4 September 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230904014537/https://www.ipswichstar.co.uk/news/21954179.65m-price-tag-sealand-tenancy/ . live .
  29. Web site: 2007-01-08 . For sale: world's smallest country . . en . . 4 September 2023 . 19 August 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240819195821/https://www.smh.com.au/world/for-sale-worlds-smallest-country-20070108-gdp74y.html . live .
  30. News: 8 January 2007 . 'Smallest state' seeks new owners . . BBC . dmy-all . 8 January 2007 . 10 January 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070110081146/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/6239967.stm . live .
  31. Web site: 2013-01-18 . Roy Bates, self-proclaimed prince who turned wartime fort into 'natio… . https://archive.today/20130118175115/http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Bates+selfproclaimed+prince+turned+wartime+fort+into+nation+Sealand/7368653/story.html . 18 January 2013 . 2024-07-05 . Calgary Herald.
  32. Web site: Braun . Adee . 30 August 2013 . From the Sea, Freedom . 1 November 2021 . . Roy Bates died in 2012, and was succeeded by Prince Michael... . 1 November 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211101164501/https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/roundtable/sea-freedom . live .
  33. Web site: Alexander . Michael . Aug 2, 2013 . Prince Roy of Sealand Memorial Coin Launched . Coin Update . Prince Roy was succeeded by his only son, the Prince Regent – now Sovereign Prince Michael... . 1 November 2021 . 1 November 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211101164453/http://news.coinupdate.com/prince-roy-of-sealand-memorial-coin-launched-2096/ . live .
  34. Book: Ryan . John . Micronations . Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations . Dunford . George . Sellars . Simon . Lonely Planet . 2006 . 978-1-74104-730-1 . 9–12.
  35. Web site: Milmo . Cahal . 2016-03-19 . Sealand's Prince Michael on the future of an off-shore 'outpost of liberty' . . en . 4 September 2023 . 12 May 2022 . https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220512/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/sealand-prince-michael-on-the-future-of-an-off-shore-outpost-of-liberty-a6940201.html . live .
  36. Web site: Milmo . Cahal . 2016-03-14 . 'Princess Joan of Sealand' has died aged 86 . . en . 13 June 2020 . 30 April 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210430050304/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/joan-bates-dead-princess-of-sealand-dies-aged-86-a6931106.html . live .
  37. News: Ward . Mark . 5 June 2000 . Offshore and offline? . . BBC . 22 March 2009 . 22 February 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090222175031/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/778267.stm . live .
  38. Book: Guinness World Records 2008 . Guinness World Records . 2007 . 978-1-904994-18-3 . 131 . registration.
  39. Web site: Information on Sealand's royal family . 13 November 2007 . Sealand News . https://web.archive.org/web/20071112121051/http://www.sealandnews.com/the-royal-family/ . 12 November 2007 . dead.
  40. Book: Ryan . John . Micronations . Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations . Dunford . George . Sellars . Simon . Lonely Planet . 2006 . 978-1-74104-730-1 . 8.
  41. Stop signs on the web; The battle between freedom and regulation on the Internet . The Economist . 13 January 2001 . 1 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151106220031/http://www.economist.com/node/471742 . 6 November 2015 . live.
  42. Web site: Grimmelmann . James . Death of a data haven: cypherpunks, WikiLeaks, and the world's smallest nation . 27 March 2012 . Ars Technica . live . 18 October 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151018022757/http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/03/sealand-and-havenco/.
  43. News: 2012-12-23 . Ed Sheeran becomes a 'baron of Sealand' . en-GB . BBC News . live . 2023-08-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230311030840/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-20831502 . 2023-03-11.
  44. News: The World's Most Notorious Micronation Has the Secret to Protecting Your Data From the NSA . Thomas . Stackpole . Aug 21, 2013 . . . 2014-02-17 . 22 February 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190222213007/https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/08/sealand-havenco-data-haven-pirate/ . live .
  45. Web site: IBWM Fantasy football micronation style . 29 February 2012 . IBWM . https://web.archive.org/web/20120601044750/http://inbedwithmaradona.com/journal/2011/8/3/fantasy-football-micronation-style.html . 1 June 2012 . dead . dmy-all .
  46. Web site: Bill 50: Electric Statutes Amendment Act, 2009 . Alberta Hansard . 24 November 2009 . 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130926085725/http://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files/docs/hansards/han/legislature_27/session_2/20091124_1930_01_han.pdf . 26 September 2013 . live . Kenneth R. . Kowalski . Province of Alberta . Edmonton, Canada . 63e . PDF . 0383-3623 .
  47. Web site: Program Souvenir Legal . 17 July 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080627061925/http://www.lechinois.ca/agenda/programme%20souvenir2007.pdf . 27 June 2008 . dead .
  48. Web site: Skate Sports . Red Bull . Redbullskateboarding.com . 15 October 2008 . 9 April 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100105044213/http://www.redbullskateboarding.com/articles/2008/10/red-bull-access-all-areas-meet.php . 5 January 2010 .
  49. Web site: Skateboarder erobern Seefestung vor der englischen Küste . 10 September 2008 . 29 September 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081224034153/http://www.lifepr.de/pressemeldungen/red-bull-deutschland-gmbh/boxid-65339.html . 24 December 2008 . dead.
  50. Web site: Welcome to Church and East . 6 June 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140606201441/http://churchandeast.co.uk/sealand.htm .
  51. Web site: Principality of Sealand to have National Football Team . PR Log . 23 December 2009 . 6 December 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110727194201/http://www.prlog.org/10463176-principality-of-sealand-to-have-national-football-team.html . 27 July 2011 . live.
  52. News: Ralf Little gets an international cap for Sealand . BBC Sport . 7 May 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160306040420/http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/17981522. 6 March 2016. 7 May 2012.
  53. Web site: Principality of Sealand 2010 Review . Glasgow Ultimate . 10 February 2011 . WebFox . 14 January 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131219083619/http://www.glasgowultimate.co.uk/index.php/reports/principality-of-sealand-2010-review/ . 19 December 2013 . live.
  54. Web site: The bizarre history of Sealand, the independent micronation on a platform off the English coast. Business Insider. 20 November 2020. 24 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210624195309/https://www.businessinsider.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-sealand-2015-9. live.
  55. Web site: How I ran a half marathon on Sealand, the fortress 'nation' in the middle of the sea. Messenger. Simon. 11 September 2015. The Guardian. en. 10 June 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180612162515/https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-running-blog/2015/sep/11/how-i-ran-a-half-marathon-on-sealand-the-fortress-nation-in-the-middle-of-the-sea. 12 June 2018. live.
  56. Web site: Arise Sir Richard: Sealand swimmer knighted . 2 September 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180831122825/http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/swimmer-knighted-after-sealand-venture-1-5674709 . 31 August 2018 . live.
  57. Web site: Moffitt . Dominic . 2018-08-20 . Man finishes record-breaking bid for Sealand glory – but another swimmer beats him to it . 2023-08-01 . Ipswich Star . en . 1 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230801235403/https://www.ipswichstar.co.uk/news/22050771.man-finishes-record-breaking-bid-sealand-glory---another-swimmer-beats/ . live .
  58. Web site: Sealand Seahawk Victory Against The South Dublin Panthers #Shorts. 14 September 2022 . YouTube. 22 December 2022. 22 December 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221222154154/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6TT19Y3LUw. live.
  59. Web site: The Red Bulletin UK 12/22 by Red Bull Media House – Issuu . 7 November 2022 . 22 December 2022 . 22 December 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221222154157/https://issuu.com/redbulletin.com/docs/1222_uk_lowres . live .
  60. Web site: Sealand Seahawks countdown to kick-off Sponsored by Digital Fuel | Digital Fuel . 24 August 2022 . 22 December 2022 . 22 December 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221222154157/https://digitalfuel.io/resources/sealand-seahawks-countdown-to-kick-off-sponsored-by-digital-fuel/ . live .