Roughs Tower had been deserted since the end of World War II. On September 2, 1967, the fort was occupied by [Paddy Roy Bates]?, a citizen of England, who claimed it as his own. At that time, Great Britain claimed territorial waters of three nautical miles from its coast. Thus, Roughs Tower was in international waters, outside the jurisdiction of any country. After consulting with several laywers, Bates declared the fort to be an independant state, named it Sealand, and made himself and his wife, [Joan Bates]?, its sovereign rulers. Great Britain has never formally recognized Sealand's independance, but because of several decisions by British courts and government agencies, Sealand enjoys a defacto sovereignty.
In 1968, the British navy attempted to evict the new inhabitants of Roughs Tower. Bates responded by firing several shots at the vessels, and was brought before a British court. The court delivered its decision on November 25, 1968: since the incident happened outside of British territory, it was outside of the court's jurisdiction.
In 1978, while Roy Bates was away, a German man and several Dutch citizens forcibly took over Sealand and held Bates' son, Michael, captive. Bates enlisted some well-armed help and retook the fort, holding the invaders as "[prisoners of war]?". The governments of the Netherlands and Germany petitioned the British government for their release, but the United Kingdom disavowed all responsibility, citing the 1968 court dicision. Germany then actually sent a diplomat to Sealand to negotiate for their citizen's release. Bates released his prisoners, and claimed defacto recognition of Sealand from Germany.
Sealand has a constitution, a flag, and a national anthem, and issues currency and passports. The United Kingdom asserts no claim over the territory, and generally treats Sealand as if it were an independant state.
Roy's son Michael entered into a partnership with Ryan Lackey, founder of HavenCo, to use Sealand as an electronic [data haven]?, offering secure colocation?. HeavenCo? has been running services from Sealand since May 2000.
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