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| From the Sea, Freedom |
 A country just six miles off the eastern shores of Britain is for
sale, and if you have 1.47 billion dollars, you may just be the next
prince or princess of Sealand.
Originally built as a fortress in 1942 to protect England from German
air raids, nearly 300 World War II military personnel once occupied what was then called HM Fort Roughs.
Sealand's design, including a pontoon barge base supporting two concrete
towers topped with a deck, has 1800 square feet of
inhabitable living space.
After the war, the structure was officially abandoned in 1956, and its contents were cleared by the Royal Navy.
In 1967, British Army Major Paddy Roy Bates, a former English major turned pirate radio broadcaster began squatting in what soon became his very own kingdom.
With the help of British lawyers, Roy and his family declared the
Roughs Tower the Principality of Sealand, after learning that the
island was outside of England's three mile jurisdiction. Bates
assigned royal titles to his family, naming himself the Prince, his
wife Joan the Princess, and his son Michael the Prince Regent.
In 1975, Roy proclaimed the Constitution of the Principality, which
later led to the development of Sealand's flag, currency, stamps,
passports, and national anthem. It's motto reads "E Mare Libertas,"
meaning "From the Sea, Freedom."
Despite a series of outsider attempts to evict the family from the
island, including a brief war with German and Dutch invaders, the
Bates' small monarchy was able to defend their country. Recently
declassified documents reveal a British plan to demolish the tower by
force, but after much consideration the UK opted to tolerate the
off-shore state instead.
Today, the Bates' are mainland due to the declining health of Prince
Roy. In 2000, the Principality of Sealand was rented by HavenCo
Limited, a internet data hosting company looking to escape "the
draconian laws in the U.S." The no more than five people living there
abide by the island's strict laws, which prohibit smoking, drinking,
and showers lasting longer than five minutes.
With less than 300 official passports in circulation, the island is
forbidden to visitors for security purposes.
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