U1 Roughs ................................................................. U2 Sunk Head

U3 Tongue ................................................................. U4 Knock John

U5 Nore .................................................................... U6 Red Sands

U7 Shivering Sands ............................................................................

This page is updated as new information becomes known & as events dictate

Issue 19 : Updated : 12th February 2008

Introduction; The 2nd World War Forts off the Kent, Essex & Suffolk Coastline were initially called Thames Estuary Special Defence Units (TESDU) More commonly the Forts were simply known as the Maunsell Sea Forts after their designer Guy Ansell Maunsell & adopted the MoD code "Uncle" subsequently given the abbreviation "U"

N.B. We have a comprehensive range of Books, Photographs, Posters, CD's & DVD's in the Offshore Shop relating to the Thames Estuary Naval & Army Forts, covering every aspect of these curious structures from design onwards during WWII & after as bases for Pirate Radio

Guy Ansell Maunsell (1884 - 1961)

With the Luftwaffe dropping a new German Magnetic Influence Mine by parachute from Seaplanes on dissolving tallow lines, the mines sank to the sea bed to be detonated by the steel mass of passing ships

With resulting heavy shipping losses the Germans effectively had a stranglehold on London & the Eastern Seaboard

Something had to be done to stem the losses, the Admiralty commandeered old wooden pleasure paddle steamers, these were fitted with a 40mm Bofors Gun, manned by the Army they patrolled the waters of the Thames Estuary

But a more permanent deterrent was needed to protect what was then the busiest shipping lane in the World. Originally there were to be 3 Martello style Forts placed strategically at 6 mile intervals across the Thames Estuary between Margate & Clacton

This was reduced to 4 Forts & after much consultation & amended criteria, Guy Maunsell came up with a new Naval Fort design for the Admiralty manned by Marines & Blue Jackets

To meet the special needs of the Admiralty & War Office 1: Break up enemy aircraft formations. Prevent laying of mines & E'boat shipping raids in coastal waters. Act as early warning outposts of hostile aircraft & release patrol vessels for other duties

Their 24' diameter legs were built on a hollow 14' deep pontoons, at 4500 tons these monsters raised 110' from the sea-bed to the top of the radar to house, deck level was 75' above the sea-bed

Exposed at sea the Forts would be open to attack by the enemy but Maunsell stated that the Naval Forts would, failing being struck by a ship or other object last 200 years

The Army also needed Forts to break up heavy bomber formations using the Thames as a navigation aid to London's Docklands. In the North of England, Liverpool was also seen as a target by the enemy. Initial model trials were conducted off Southend Pier & samples of seabed in the Mersey Bay taken resulting in a completely new design of Fort

The Mersey Bay off Liverpool were to get 3 sets of Heavy Anti-Aircraft (AA) Army Forts constructed by the Cleeveden Bridge Company

The specification the Army Forts comprised 7 Towers each weighing 750 tons; Control, (Command) Bofors, Searchlight & 4 x 3.7" Gun Towers spaced at around 100 feet apart in a similar formation to a shore Anti-Aircraft Battery

Sunk at slack tide in around 40' of water they rose 117' from the sea-bed to the top of the roof. Wartime personel access was normally by ladder, the first climb of 10'onto the landing stage, 25' to the second stage level & a further 25' into the Fort

Sutch & City - Part 1 shows the Army Fort layout

Three Forts numbers 1-3 were sunk off Liverpool Bay, between 7th October - 25th July 1943

Proposals to construct Forts off the Humber, Portsmouth & Rosyth, Belfast & Londonderry never materialized

In the difficult ever shifting seabed conditions of the Mersey Estuary, the Liverpool Bay Forts were demolished soon after the war

All of the Forts were constructed of reinforced concrete & steel

The Thames Estuary Naval & Army sets were all built at Red Lion Wharf on the lower reaches of the Thames at Gravesend in Kent, by Holloway Brothers (London) Ltd & overseen by appointed resident engineer John A Posford, who became a partner in the Maunsell Company on 6th April 1944 as reward for his diligent work on the project

With an impressive build, fitting out & commissioning turn round of just 53 days the Naval Forts were towed out & grounded in around 40' of water with a tide range of approximately 20'

The Forts took around 20 seconds to sink & a just 30 seconds to settle

For our informative DVD's of the grounding of Knock John Fort & a Tour around & throughout the whole of the Roughs Fort visit the Offshore Shop

The Forts were the first line of defence for spotting enemy aircraft, submarines & ships, with then state of the art radar prediction equipment

The Naval Forts were armed with two Vickers-Armstrong 3.7" static MK2c Heavy Anti-Aircraft Guns. Woolwich Arsenal issued the specification in 1933, two designs were submitted in 1934, a trial gun was made & approved in 1936, the first production model delivered in 1938. They fired a 28lb shell @ 2,600 ft per second, had a maximum range of 20,600 yards horizontal & a velocity ceiling of 41,000 ft. By hand they could achieve 10, or by automatic loader 25 rounds per minute. The Forts also had two light 40mm Bofors Anti-Aircraft Guns; With a total weight 4368 lbs they had a barrel bore length of 7’38” With a 360 deg traverse & recoil of 8” they fired a 2lb shell at 2,700 ft per sec. Range was 10,800 yds with a ceiling of 23,600 ft. The effective range & ceiling sought 5000 ft at 120 rounds per minute, Lewis Guns were also available. Each Fort was Manned by 120 men (90 Marines & 30 Sailors) & 3 officers. The Officers living at deck level & the men on 4 of the 7 lower decks

Conditions for the ratings on the Naval Forts wasn't so good, the Naval Forts had a huge Boxer style fan which circulated air throughout the Fort. The Naval Forts never, as some believe had proper Air Conditioning, but air was heated in cold weather by oil fired boiler

Forced to spend long periods below Naval Crews were persuaded to take up hobbies: Painting & Drawing, Model Making, Tapestry, Knitting were all to help stay off the dreaded "Fort Madness" a condition diagnosed by medics in the latter part of the war

Tours of duty for Naval ratings were 6 weeks on, 10 days leave ashore & 4 days at HMS Wildfire the Forts shore base at Sheerness

The Sunk Head & Roughs Crews off Essex were billeted at HMS Badger Parkestone Quay Harwich

The Army Forts were fitted with four later MK6 model 3.7" Heavy Anti-Aircraft Guns & two 40mm Bofors Guns, with each Fort complex manned by 4 Officers, 9 Sergeants & 121 Ranks (134) This increased at the height of the war to 6 Officers, 11 Sergeants & 185 Ranks (202) but it's believed that at one stage a compliment of 265 occupied Shivering Sands

The Army Fort Gunners & Royal Engineers spent 4 weeks aboard & had 2 weeks ashore

Conditions were comfortable with plenty of light, oil fired central heating, daily hot salt water baths & excellent food & prepared in the Control Tower Cook House

Air Spotters (Lookouts) scurried down the ladders to retrieve flotsam, for hobbyists. Old rope was spliced coloured & made into slippers, wood most sought after was made into model boats in the Royal Engineers Workshop

The Thames Estuary Sea Forts were all linked by underwater telephone & all had a set of 3 Gardner LW 30KvA Generators

Supplies of ammunition, diesel fuel, freshwater, mail & stores was a minimum of once a week. In clement weather daily supply ships weren't uncommon

Together the Thames Estuary Forts are accredited to shooting down 22 enemy planes, 30 "Doodle Bug" V1 flying bombs

A German E-Boat operating out of Ijmuilden Holland was also claimed by Tongue Fort

Following May 3rd VE Day Celebrations, on the 14th June 1945 soon after the declaration of the end of the war, the Forts were decommissioned & placed on care & maintenance. Serviced by the Motor Fishing Vessel MFV 1037 of Harwich attached to HMS Wildfire, crews aided by civilians spent 4 weeks aboard before being relieved & spending between 7-14 days ashore. In 1956 the Ministry decided the Forts were of no further use & abandoned them to the elements

Deserted before the Pirates rediscovered them in 1964 the Forts were scavenged for scrap metal & useful items by fishermen & others

The Naval Towers in particular were targeted for their brass portholes & fittings

The Army Forts had their Guns, Searchlights, Radar & other military paraphernalia removed by the MoD

The Naval Forts had their Bofors Guns & Radar removed, but for some unknown reason, perhaps their older vintage, their 3.7" Guns were left behind, minus their breech blocks

In July 1992 a team of RAF & Royal Engineers from Chatham in a Chinook helicopter removed the 3.7" Naval Fort Guns, one went to New Tavern Fort Gardens at Gravesend the rest to a museum in Scapa Flow. Ray Hughes, formerly of Herne Bay had proposed a training scheme in which he'd get the guns without cost for display, as Scapa Flow's own had long gone

A good many people have the romantic notion that the Radio Pirates left the forts like a deserted house

That's not the case, virtually everything has been removed from the Forts

In the 1990's the Forts were used for a period by the SAS for simulated oil rig assault training

Sunk Head Naval Fort "U2" was grounded at 51 46'.51" N & 1 30'.21" E for reasons unknown is sometimes referred to as Churchill One

WGS 84 Chart Checks 1st March 2006: 51 46.63' N & 1 30.5' E at 9.75 nautical miles (11.21) from the nearest land at Frinton Essex, The Second Naval Fort was partly built by 26th March 1942 but delayed as the Admiralty were considering alternative Radar, this idea was dropped. After weeks delay & held by bad weather the fort was grounded at the maximum MLW (Mean Low Water) depth of 43 ft on 1st June, & was ready for action on 3rd June 1942. A distance out & close to the shipping lanes in June 1944 a violent storm took away the already damaged landing stage. Decommissioned on 14th June 1945 & reduced to care & maintenance until 1956; Trinity House considered taking over this Fort to mark the outer end of the Sunk Head Sands at the Barrow Channel. Mr J P Bowen of Trinity House had been on Tongue Fort when it was positioned, having surveyed both Tongue & the Sunk Forts he recommended that Trinity House only be prepared to take responsibility from the Admiralty as Lighthouses & nothing more. He sighted NAB Tower sunk in 1918 as a concern, this Tower had listed some 4 degrees & the worry was that any settling would upset the delicate lights, so the idea didn't come to fruition

The Fort was flooded in both legs to tide level with rising & falling tides, since each the legs is in dependant, it's thought that the sea-cocks had been open when abandoned by the MoD, it might be that some ammunition had been left below but unlikely

It's rumored that the Fort had been hit by an unnamed ship in the mid-1950's but we've been unable to substantiate this

Sunk though was used by Tower Radio/Radio Tower (see our feature) & a rumored Tower TV Channel for 7 months between October 1965 - April 1966. Started by a Colchester TV dealer Radio Tower never launched properly, but weak tests were heard on various frequencies settling on 236 mmw up until 28th April 1966 . The much hyped TV broadcasts never materialised, out of money the team abandoned the Sunk Head leaving a virtually new generator & all the broadcast equipment behind

The Fort though was re-inhabited for a period by squatters C Payne of Bexley Kent & D Stoneham of London they'd no connection with broadcasting. They'd been on-board until their supplies were exhausted, lighting a fire seen by Walton & Frinton Lifeboat they were rescued on 9th November 1966

For the Sunk Head Radio Tower TV Story & pictures navigate from Radio Tower 1

Clearly well outside territorial waters & with no sand banks to bring it within UK jurisdiction, the Government were worried it might be taken over again. For a time there were stories circulating the Fort was being used for smuggling. Boarded on Friday 18th August 1967 by a contingent of the 24th Field Squadron of Royal Engineers from Maidstone from the Chatham Tug Collie, under the command of Major David Ives, the Fort was weakened by acetylene cutting torches. 3200 lbs of PE 4 plastic explosives were set, & on 21st August 1967 at just after 16.00 hours Sunk Head was blown up to prevent further use, & perhaps deter those on Roughs from becoming too complacent

The shock waves were felt in Harwich & the detonation noise carried over 12 miles, just a 20 feet of the leg stumps remain

An undated collision occurred when an unnamed liquid gas carrier crashed into the leg remains resulting in significant hull damage

Nore Army Fort "U5" said to be at 51 25'.45" N & 0 50'00" E!

WGS 84 Chart Checks on 6th July 2006: Converting co-ordinates from a 1940's Admiralty Chart showing the Great Nore Fort was at 51 19.18' N & 0 51.77' E. The Nore was the first set of the Army Forts floated out between 20th May & 3rd July 1943 positioned at approximately 2.5 nautical miles (2.87) from from the nearest land at Sheerness Isle-of-Sheppey. After hostilities ceased in May 1945 the Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery left in September & the Anti-Aircraft Fort Maintenance Detachment took over Nore. In 1948 the MoD visited the fort when considering a new design of Heavy Anti-Aircraft Fort comprising 9 Towers, by 1953 this proposal was deferred through cost. On 1st March 1953 a Swedish pulp carrier the Baalbeck ran into the Bofors & G4 Gun Tower killing 4 civilian crew, 6 other caretakers were taken ashore. Throughout the rest of 1953 ideas to continue using Nore as a defensive Fort & in part by the PLO were muted

In late 1954 the Mairoula collided with the Great Nore Fort & by 1955 & the Fort well inside British Waters, the War Office could not shun responsibility & decided that with no operational use the Nore should be removed. Armaments, Searchlights & Radar was removed by floating crane barge in 1956 & taken to Chatham Dockyard. The fog horn & remaining lighting was taken off in 1957. On 30th January 1958 with the Great Nore the only Fort within then UK Territorial Waters & deemed a hazard to shipping in the Thames approaches so the Great Nore was dismantled between 1959 - 1960

Some top house superstructure was brought ashore as scrap & sold to Matthew Lynch & Son Ltd on the Medway. The reinforced concrete legs were blown off & their bases lifted & towed ashore & discarded at Alpha Wharf Cliffe in Kent pictured above in 1992. The rest of the debris was spread around the Nore Sand & traces of which can be seen on echo sounder

For pictures of the legs in 2003 in Seatribe Project

Red Sands Army Fort "U6" second set of the Army Forts at 51 28'06" N & 0 59'06" E

WGS 84 Chart Checks 1st March 2006: 51 28.6' N & 0 59.4' E at 5 nautical miles (5.75) from nearest land at Warden Point Isle-of-Sheppey, & 7 nautical miles (8.05) from Whitstable the Forts were floated out between July & November 1943. Like the Great Nore it's equipment was removed & a short time to serve care & maintenance crew staying until 1956, the MoD finally decided to abandon the Forts in 1958

In 1959 consideration was given to re floating the Red sands Forts & bringing them ashore, but the costs were cost prohibitive

Radio Invicta boarded & began testing from 3rd June 1964, following the tragic death of their owner Tom Pepper (Harry Featherbee) Radio Invicta became Radio K.I.N.G in March 1965 up until 22nd September 1965, initially identifying as coming from the Nore? (Clearly Lost Pirates) K.I.N.G's format & poor signal due to a bad antenna, failed to attract an audience. After considerable reinvestment it became Radio 390 that opened on 23rd September 1965. Radio 390 was to be outlawed & finally closed on 28th July 1967. Their caretaker crew stayed until August & stripped the place completely, leaving nothing other than the "floating" wooden studio

Red Sands Development's Seatribe Project were in occupation until 1969, thereafter the Fort became abandoned for what we thought would be the last time!

Above Red Sands above pictured in the late 1980's

Navigate from Red Sands Rendezvous for all the & Red Sand Features

For the latest news & developments on the Red Sands Army Fort see Seatribe Project

Shivering Sands Army Fort "U7" third set of Army Forts at 51 29'95" N & 1 04'48" E

Shivering Sands pictured above in 1965

WGS 84 Chart Checks 1st March 2006: 51 29.92' N & 1 4.8' E at 3.5 nautical miles (4.02) from Red Sands & 8 nautical miles (9.2) from nearest land at Herne Bay, & 8.75 nautical miles (10.06) from Whitstable were floated out between 18th September - 13th December 1943. In the later part of the war the Shivering Sands had it's Searchlights removed, new equipment was installed & tested by the Radar Research Laboratory of Malvern. Again had later it's other equipment removed & a short time to serve care & maintenance crew staying until the MoD finally decided to abandon the forts in 1958. Following the Great Flood of 3rd February 1953, the Port of London Authority (PLA) took over the isolated Searchlight Tower in the early 1960's installing automated wind & tide gauges. Some time after the Shivering Sands was used to conduct some radar prediction & special paint trials, an explanation to how well the fort had weathered

Abandoned but marked an all Navigation Charts it's surprising that on 7th June 1963 the Coaster Ribersborg collided with the G4 Gun Tower. In between the Searchlight & Control Tower the G4 Gun Tower was toppled which landed on deck before sliding into the sea, no one was hurt except the skippers pride & the ship limped away

David "Screaming" Lord Sutch the first to use the Forts for Pirate Radio with Radio Sutch in May 1964, initially an elaborate publicity stunt dreamt up by his manager Reg Calvert. They chose Shivering Sands as it was thought the Red Sands Towers were too close to the shore. Reg Calvert took over on 30th September 1964 & Radio City was borne. In 1966 the PLA attempted to remove the toppled G4 Gun Tower, the salvage ship grappled using a big hook & only managed to tear a few fragments of steel from the top house, all watched by the crew on Radio City, in the same year another wrecking crew from the Radio Essex Fort Knock John broke into the PLA Tower, to salvage the ammunition hoist & generator parts. The Radio City boys were rather shocked & feared a repeat of earlier events at Knock John! Following Reg Calvert's premature death his widow Dorothy Calvert ran the station, until it was finally outlawed & closed at just after midnight on Wednesday 8th February 1967. A caretaker crew stayed for a time after the station closed, removing much except the big Detroit Generator, remnants of the studio, library woodwork & much paperwork. Roy Bates again raided the fort & removed the original gantry lights, which ended up in an antique shop close top his flat in Avenue Road Southend. Finally squatters with Alexander Dee (Dennis Swinnerton) a former Radio City DJ & his Girlfriend took over for a period until 1969 planning a Hippy Commune they took some discarded radio items as souvenirs, before the fort was totally abandoned

The date is unknown but there are reports that one of the legs of the Bofors Tower was partially cut through as a test prior to removing the Shivering Sands, the idea was postponed & the Bofors Tower still stands despite it's weakened leg

The PLA cut away the roof of the Searchlight Tower in 1990 so that helicopters could be used to service the gauges. In 1992 it was decided the Fort had become too dilapidated for continued use, & a new LANBY (Large Automated Buoy) was moored close by & now provides the wind & tide readings from Shivering Sands

Summer 2004 - Saw a survey commissioned by the PLA on behalf of the UK Government of both Army Forts with a view to demolition, there's concern that parts might fall on a boat or worst

The estimate was some £9 million, but with the activities of Project Redsand the Red Sands Fort is probably now immune, but Shivering Sands is close to the approach to Knock Channel shipping lane. So removal is a fate that potentially awaits Shivering Sands if the HM Government will stand the estimated Rough Order of Magnitude (RoM) costing's of £5 million to remove the Shivering Sands set of Forts

Discussions have taken place, & should a contract be placed, it's possible that one of the Towers would be re-sited close to the Kent shoreline, & possibly set up as a WWII & Pirate Radio attraction

For all the Shivering Sand features navigate from Sutch & City - Part 1

Observations on the

The Seafort Project Book by Stephen Turner has some minor inaccuracies which are acceptable artistic & poetic licence but for the purists:

The Searchlight Tower's ladders are intact & maintained until 1992 by the PLA so are still in good condition

The Towers movement in wind can be disconcerting but isn't dangerous, the Forts were designed to recoil with the guns, if they hadn't they would have shaken to pieces, undermining was cured early on & with the exception of Tongue wasn't a problem

Screaming Lord Sutch didn't create Radio City his manager Reg Calvert did, he was the driving force behind the whole radio project

There were 3 Gardner Generators on the Forts not 4

The picture of the Shivering Sands in the 1960's indicates how the Fort looked but is in fact Red Sands shortly after Radio Invicta began broadcasting in June 1965

Knock John Naval Fort "U4" 51 33'.72" N 1 09'.83" E

Pictured above just after it was sealed by welding & the 3.7" guns had been pulled by RAF Manston in June 1992

WGS 84 Chart Checks 1st March 2006: 51 33.74' N & 1 9.71' E grounded on 1st August 1942 around 8.75 nautical miles (10.06) from Foulness Island the nearest Essex coastline, & 18 miles from Southend its later Pirate Radio Station base. It was decommissioned on 14th June & evacuated on 25th June 1945 & reduced to care & maintenance until May 1956

Whilst negotiating the sale of the Radio City operation on Shivering Sands, to either Radio Caroline as a relay, & when that deal faltered to Radio London for the UKGM (United Kingdom Good Music) Station. Radio City planned to use the Knock John Fort for another radio station, they'd pressed ahead sending a small team to Knock John taking with them the redundant 188 metre Cossor Transmitter, a small Lister Generator & various other bits of broadcasting equipment. Radio Essex also had designs for the Fort, the net result was that respective crews were regularly deported off & on the Fort before an uneasy truce was reached. Radio Essex finally took full control & commenced testing on 27th October 1965 until 25th December 1966. Leaving on Christmas Day they took everything, & some parts they'd salvaged from Tongue Fort & Shivering Sands, 8 & 5 nautical miles away respectively, & set off for the Roughs 24 miles away off Felixstowe

2006 - There's more than a rumor that Knock John might get a new lease of life, but early days yet we'll keep you posted

For the story of Radio Essex see our book Making Waves & you can the whole story of the Radio City boarding, & all about Radio Essex first hand in Radio City 2, both available from the Offshore Shop

Navigate from Radio Essex 222 for all the Knock John features

Roughs Naval Fort "U1" pictured in 2000 grounded at 51 53'.40.8" N & 1 28.'56.7" E

WGS 84 Chart Checks 1st March 2006: 51 53.71 N & 1 28.83' E Enduring snow & high winds towing the 100-foot high 4,500 ton mass the tugs had problems controlling the unwieldy fort. It hit a number of buoys the Thames Boom in place between Minster (Sheerness) on the Isle-of-Sheppey to Shoebury Essex. Roughs was the first Fort to be grounded & was sunk in 42 feet of water in just 15 minutes on the Roughs Sand, which is some 6.1 nautical miles (7.01) off the Felixstowe, Suffolk coast on 11th February 1942. In 1944 the compliment of men was reduced as the war turned in favour of the allies, a floor was converted into a library, recreation room. Decommissioned on 11th February 1945 Knock John was reduced to care & maintenance until 1956

Post war interest was shown in the Roughs as early as 1965, when on 11th August Jack Moore & his daughter Jane were onboard. They were acting on behalf of Radio Caroline who were said to have had potential investment from George Harrison & Mick Jagger amongst others, in a failed project to turn the fort into a fun palace & health complex. Something of a cover for an enterprise that was almost certainly broadcast related. The top house of the Fort had been cut away making a helicopter landing platform. Left for a period Roy Bates claimed the Roughs in December 1966, having closed down Radio Essex he'd decamped from Knock John some 24 nautical miles (27.6) away, a battle ensued over the occupancy of Roughs. Unattended briefly a boarding party from Radio Caroline grabbed the Fort back, they were forcefully removed by Roy Bates & his crew. With anti-pirate legislation going through Parliament, it's quite likely the Fort was taken in favour of continuing to use the Mi-Amigo, even then she was 45 years old or at least a potential supply dump for servicing both the Caroline South ship & North ship the MV Caroline off the Isle-of-Man. On the night of 27th June 1967 Caroline dispatched a team of raiders on the Offshore II from Harwich to get Bates off. The stakes were high, the Marine Etc Broadcasting Offences Act would become law on 14th August 1967, as one man tried to board petrol bombs & missiles rained down & he was left clinging to the ladder as the Offshore II pulled away. Walton-on-Naze lifeboat went out & after negotiations rescued the man. Police intervened but no charges were brought. Later in a helicopter raid by foreign investors Prince Michael was locked in his own Goal. Eventually released he was put ashore but returned mob handed to reclaim the Fort back. The squabble over ownership resulted in a German being held captive on Roughs. Exercising squatters rights & with the passing of time ownership, the Bates family have kept the Fort which is occupied to this day

On the 2nd September 1976 Roughs was declared the Independent Principality of Sealand, & today in many quarters is legally recognised as a the Worlds smallest Country

In the 1980's an American contingent invested in Sealand with an electronic haven: Haven Co. Sadly in a mass clear-out the two 3.7" Heavy Anti-Aircraft Guns were tipped over the side, other than one turntable removed earlier, all of the Radio Essex gear was also thrown overboard

A single transmitter output valve, & some paperwork left behind on Knock John was saved in 1969, that's are all that physically survives of the little station

Our features on Radio Essex begin here

Whilst no Radio station has ever actually broadcast from Roughs, they might. Plans have included a Television Relay, a Top 40 Station which was close to launch in the 1980's, & in 2006 a Transmitter, Generator & Versa Tower & Studio equipment was purchased to set up two FM stations on Roughs, but Sealand declined to house the proposed radio services

Whilst occupied to this day Roughs isn't wholly representative of how a Naval Fort looked when built, having had its Radar Top House & Control Tower removed in the 60's

On 23rd June 2006 thick black smoke was seen rising from Roughs Sealand on Fire. A deck sited generator had caught fire which caused major damage to the Fort

9th January 2007 - Sealand Press Release, with Michael Bates on Regional BBC Anglia Television, announces Sealand are seeking investment, figures of up to a £10 million are floated

Navigate from Sealand One for the story of the Principality of Sealand & plans of the Naval Forts

Take a look around & inside the whole of Roughs on our DVD "Sealand the Grand Tour" available from the Offshore Shop

Tongue Naval Fort "U3" pictured above just after it was sealed by welding & again the 3.7" guns were pulled by RAF Manston in June 1992

Grounded on 17th June 1942 at 51 29'.55" N & 1 22'.11" E

WGS 84 Chart Checks 1st March 2006: 51 29.57' N & 1 22.0 E some 6.2 nautical miles (7.13) off Margate. There are two versions of this story; On the night of 22nd/23rd January 1945 fifteen German E-Boats were seen on Radar, five close by, the S.119 or S.199 operating out of Ijmuilden Holland was just over 4 miles away, coming under heavy fire from Tongue's 3.7" guns, unsure of from where the shelling came, the Captain maneuvered to avoid being hit & rammed another E-Boat, badly damaged he scuttled his vessel. Version two is that a plum of smoke & flames were seen by the deck observers on Tongue & rep[orts that casualties were picked up & the E-Boat destroyed. Tongue was decommissioned on 11th February 1945 & reduced to care & maintenance; This Fort had settled badly & as a result became under scoured. on the 5th December 1947 the Fort shook violently & parts began falling into the sea. The crew put out a distress call & were rescued by HMS Uplifter. Divers later investigated & found the foundations solid, but in a storm shortly after the Fort rocked & took on a 15 degree list, the Margate Lifeboat evacuated 4 remaining men, eager to abandon, the Fort was stripped of Bofors Guns & Radar but much of the Forts paperwork & other items were left behind to appear later

One of Tongues 3.7" Guns can be seen in the New Tavern Fort Gardens Gravesend, the other joined the two from Knock John at Scapa Flow

Like Sunk Head Fort Tongue was considered for use as a Lighthouse by Trinity House, but instead a lightship was moored close by until Trinity House began its programme of withdrawal in the mid-1980's

No Offshore Radio ever broadcast from Tongue, though Radio Essex from Knock John some 8 nautical miles (9.2) considered using the Fort, they again boarded in 1966 retrieving scrap to sell. By then under-scouring had broken the pontoons back & the whole Fort had distorted. The ceiling of level (A) the generator room had partially collapsed & large holes had appeared in East leg, big enough to crawl through. Sea water had flooded the lower levels & the platform had become detached with huge gaps between the deck

Attracted by smoke from burning insulation on copper & led the Manston search & rescue helicopter to circle the fort. Followed the Margate lifeboat, when confronted those on board shouted they were a new radio station. Quick thinking Dick Palmer produced the name Radio Albatross promoting questions about unabated pirates being raised in the House of Commons. Amusingly, even though broke Roy Bates made noises in return saying he'd begin new stations Radio Kent & Radio Eros from the Knock John

Radio Essex scavenged several heavy items: The ammunition hoist motor, a telephone exchange & metal benches. The motor survives, firstly taken to Knock John then to Roughs in 1966

Our DVD "Sealand Grand Tour" gives an in depth view of life on & inside a Naval Fort available from the Offshore Shop

Tongue Forts damaged flooded leg continued to distort & resulted in collapse & loss of the whole Fort into the under scouring hole in overnight storms on February 21st & 22nd 1996, all that remains is a single 18 foot stump of the West leg

You can see Tongue Fort pictured during the mid-1980's with its heavily distorted leg in Caroline 83 & Eurosiege also an aerial picture of the remaining leg stump in Thames Air

The Naval Fort design was the basis for the Mulberry Harbours. Sinking large reinforced concrete structures onto an unprepared seabed hadn't been tried before. Examples of the Mulberry Harbour can be seen in Portland Harbour in Dorset

The Army Forts were similarly to provide principle designs for Oil Sea Drilling Rigs

Several have proposed that at least one Fort be preserved. This is now highly unlikely as funds for maintaining even older, & perhaps more important historically interesting buildings are limited especially from Government

The only way that would be to go out & take one over!

This has been done as reported above but it's not without significant difficulty & cost

The Forts are big structures & with big investment two of the Solent's Napoleonic Forts have been preserved & are now private dwellings. These granite Forts are close to shore & much easier to access

For the Solent Forts to see Sailing the Solent

The Thames Forts are miles out in the Estuary & until 1967 were outside the 3 mile Territorial Waters Limit but were brought inside Territorial Waters by contrived 1960's hydrographic data. Later by extended Territorial Limits the Forts are firmly inside British Waters & sadly won't again become bases for Free Radio

To make them safe, habitable, & reasonably tidy would cost a small fortune, but they should be preserved for posterity. It's worth noting that modern oil rigs owe something to the Sea Forts designer Guy Maunsell

It was strongly rumored towards the end of 2003 that a heritage organisation was making a bid to purchase the remaining Maunsell Sea Forts

However, what is true is that during the summer of 2003 the PLA conducted a survey at U7 into the feasibility of removing the two remaining Army Forts complexes at U6, U7, & possibly the Knock John Naval Tower U4

But removal is estimated at 2 years with a cost in the region of £9 million

Since the demise of Tongue Tower U3 off Margate safety appears to be a consideration

It's close proximity to the busy shipping lanes means that the Shivering Sands in particular is most vulnerable

The Shivering Sands Bank North East end extends into the South West junction of the Knob Channel/Knock John Channel

Traffic from the East enters this area via the Alexandra & Princes Channels

From the West Shipping approaches from the Yantlet Channel out of the River Thames & River Medway

There are plans to dredge & perhaps widen parts of the Shipping Channels

The good news is that work is now well advanced to save the only complete set of Army Forts managed by the registered charity Project Redsand

In the meantime enjoy your own guided tour throughout a Naval Fort in "Sealand the Grand Tour" available from the Offshore Shop

The last marine structure worth mentioning is the Old Gunfleet Lighthouse 5 nautical miles (5.75) off Frinton-on-Sea. Long abandoned, Radio Atlantis an offshore station from Belgium which had been forced to close with ratification of the Dutch Marine Offences Act of 1974, began work fitting windows, replacing the roof, long stripped of lead & reinforcing floors to take generators & a transmitter

They planned a new station to be called Radio Dolphin due to launch on 244 metres on Christmas Day

There after several stories are voiced; One that Royal Marines Commandos thwarted the operation with a raid in the early hours of 19th December 1974, with the occupants forced to leave & equipment confiscated; Two that on the same day four Navy, Essex Police, Home Office & Trinity House vessels arrived at the lighthouse. Representatives from Trinity House inspected the structure, since they owned it. Subsequently the radio gear was dismantled, with the exception of the transmitter cabinet, with those on board taken ashore

07/02/08 - Up to joining Trinity House Lighthouse Service in 2005 I had been 26 years at a firm called Posford, Pavry & Partners, that was John Posford's business earlier called Maunsell, Posford, Pavry & Partners. The name change occurred when Guy Maunsell & John Posford decided amicably to pursue separate paths. I always thought that John Posford was a real "fine figure of a man" even at 70, merely the sight of the man, so naturally straight, erect & square, shoulders back, chest thrust forward could not fail to impress even before he spoke. His firm was a close family in which everyone followed his lead playing their part. He never looked more at home than in the official photographs taken as he was being introduced to the Queen & speaking with her in the line of notables after she had officially re-opened the famous cast iron & glass Palm House at the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew for which we, his firm, were the Consulting Engineers. He was completely comfortable & natural in that position unlike so many of other "lesser mortals". For many years of my time at "Posfords" I was Principal Electrical Engineer in the Maritime Division of the firm, had so many smashing colleagues & friends with achieved so many incredibly demanding things around the British Isles & all over the world. The innovative passionate engineering spirit of Guy Maunsell & John Posford did not retire or die with them, they inspired so many young & not-so-young engineers who passed on their knowledge to others. It was a way of life we know we did much good work thanks partially to their inspiration. Those guys achievements were hard to live up to, even when they had gone, but we enjoyed trying!

Sorry to have gone on a bit more than intended but I thought that you would find the above of interest given how some of the vintage work of Guy Maunsell & John Posford has impinged in your own life, their spirit is even now alive & well at work in Peterborough & around the world. I have moved to the Harwich area with Trinity House & on a clear day I can look out over Dovercourt Bay aging "naked eyes" & see Rough's Tower (Sealand) on the horizon & think "we" built that well over half a century ago, it has seen a lot of life over the years & the North Sea still struggles to claim it!

Keep up the good work, I will be back before long for more of those excellent CDs Regards - Joe Tierney

The Offshore Shop has Radio Fort Documemntaries & the Sealand DVD

For pictures & the history Radio Atlantis & the Gunfleet Lighthouse

During the summer months we run sailing trips from Whitstable & sometimes Herne Bay to see the imposing Thames Estuary Sea Forts see Boat Trips

Fort Fax logo by Jonathan S Farley