Attempts to create micronations—that is, to establish one’s own rules of coexistence at sea—are quite numerous. But among them there are no fully successful ones. Let us list typical examples and typical failures.
“Operation Atlantis”—a project for a new country led by Werner Stiefel. As part of this operation, a ship was built from ferro-cement, which was supposed to be anchored in the Caribbean Sea. In 1971, the ship reached the Caribbean Sea, where it successfully sank during a hurricane. Sinking vessels are a good, long-standing tradition in our topic.
The “Oceania” artificial island project, on which a new nation was to be created, began in the late 1960s, raised $400,000, and went bankrupt in 1994. As commentators say, this was a project with too many chiefs and too few Indians. A typical example of what happens when a bunch of university know-it-alls get involved.
Minerva Reef. Michael Oliver, a millionaire from Las Vegas, decided to found a new country on Minerva Reef, 260 miles from the Kingdom of Tonga. The reefs are far enough from any state and large enough for such an attempt. Oliver built an artificial island on the reef and proclaimed the Republic of Minerva. The first reaction to his actions was a box of tools dropped from a helicopter. Written on the box was “tools and equipment from the King of Tonga.” After some time, the king himself arrived accompanied by several bruisers. His Majesty sang the national anthem of Tonga, raised the national flag of Tonga, and departed. This is where the history of the republic ended. Wind and water finished the job, washing the artificial island into the sea.
This example shows why purchasing or renting islands, shoals, and any other land is unpromising. States are not interested in expanding their cartel, in allowing “just anyone” to simply establish new states, however ridiculous these attempts may seem. In such cases, states react quickly. In 1969, another attempt was made to create a new nation on a ship in the area of Cortés Shoal, located 100 miles from San Diego. The ship built for this purpose sank as tradition would have it; however, another project to create a platform at this location immediately arose and began gaining momentum. The US government immediately stated that Cortés Shoal is an integral part of US territory and that no one should be messing around there.
Rosa Island. Giorgio Rosa, a professor from Bologna, built a tower in the Adriatic Sea in the early 1960s. The tower supported a platform on which there were a shop, a bank, a post office, and a restaurant, as well as promenade decks. Italian authorities ignored this structure since it was located beyond the three-mile territorial waters zone. However, in 1968, when Rosa declared independence, the tower was destroyed by the Italian navy. The reason was the authorities’ “assumption” about prostitution, pornography, and drug distribution. “This whole country is a mafia,” said the professor. We will add—practically any country.
Laissez-faire City. A project inspired by Ayn Rand’s novels, it began in 1995 with the proclamation of independence and the creation of a trust of founders. The Economist wrote about the project, BBC made reports, and so on. The project immediately gained 3,000 founders; however, a small detail soon became apparent: there is no free land anywhere. It is impossible to find any acceptable territory sufficiently protected from possible claims and pretensions of other states. An example of poor management.
The Principality of Sealand. This is perhaps the only example of a successful attempt to create a micronation. In 1967, former pirate radio operator Roy Bates seized an abandoned WWII-era air defense platform near the coast of Great Britain. He proclaimed the new state of Sealand in the form of a constitutional monarchy with himself at the head. Bates used the platform for broadcasting his radio station, “Radio Essex.”
The history of Sealand is marked by several scandals and even wars. This is apparently a hereditary trait of all states, regardless of their size. In 1975, Bates published a constitution, flag, and anthem (written, by the way, by some Londoner with the strange name Vasily Simonenko). Bates also issued coins and passports of his country. All this led to interesting consequences.
In 1978, while the king was away, the platform was seized by several citizens of Germany and the Netherlands. They were led by one Alexander Achenbach, who called himself the Prime Minister of Sealand. The occupiers took Bates’s son hostage and transferred him to the Netherlands. Bates returned home by helicopter accompanied by loyal supporters and, as a result of a successful assault, regained his possessions. The occupiers became prisoners of war and were soon released, but Achenbach was charged with treason. The reason was simple—he had a Sealand passport. Achenbach spent several weeks in captivity until he paid a ransom of 75,000 marks. Throughout this time, the governments of Germany and the Netherlands demanded assistance from the government of Great Britain in freeing Achenbach. The government of Great Britain replied that Sealand is outside its jurisdiction—beyond the three-mile territorial waters zone.
The matter ended with Germany sending a diplomat to conduct negotiations with Bates. Achenbach was released and, as is customary, created a “government in exile” in Germany. But what is also important—the fact of negotiations and the sending of a diplomat means that Sealand has been de facto recognized by Germany.
By the way, in 1987, Great Britain expanded its territorial waters to 12 miles. Now the platform is located on the territory of the United Kingdom, and it can make territorial claims against Sealand.
In 1997, due to the widespread circulation of fake Sealand passports (about 150,000), Bates declared them invalid and stopped issuing new ones.
In 2000, the platform was leased to HavenCo, which used it for hosting servers. In 2008, the company’s operations ceased, as they claim, due to poor business management.
In 2007, Sealand was attempted to be purchased by PiratesBay after they ran into problems in Sweden; however, the deal did not go through.