Piratical Tales: Sealand

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Picture yourself under the clandestine cover of night, tuning into forbidden rock and roll rhythms that make your heart race. What lengths would you go to defy the status quo? Join us as we unravel the audacious tale of pirate radio in the 1960s UK, where rebel broadcasters like Radio Carolina and Wonderful Radio London braved the law and the waves to bring unfiltered music to the masses. Discover how these plucky DJs transformed ships anchored in international waters into bastions of freedom, forever altering the cultural landscape.

Our journey doesn't stop there; we venture into the extraordinary saga of Sealand, an abandoned WWII anti-aircraft fort that became a self-declared sovereign micro-nation. Roy Bates and his son Michael's fight for independence, replete with warning shots and legal wrangling, creates a gripping narrative of resilience and defiance. Learn how this tiny, isolated platform in the treacherous North Sea not only survived but also thrived as a symbol of unyielding human spirit. Their story is a testament to the boundless quest for self-determination against all odds.

As we navigate through the quirky and tumultuous history of Sealand, we'll share jaw-dropping anecdotes that bring its unique charm to life. From daring platform jumps to audacious kidnapping attempts and even Molotov cocktail incidents, Sealand's past is as colorful as it is compelling. Yet through all the chaos, it remains a peace-loving micro-nation that stands tall on its tiny piece of concrete. Listen in for a captivating episode packed with humor, resilience, and the undeniable allure of rebellion.

Chapters

• 0:00 Pirate Radio and Sealand
• 5:22 The Fascination of Sealand
• 14:03 The Sealand Legal Maneuvers
• 29:25 Exploring the Quirks of Sealand

Transcript

Owen: 0:48

Ahoy, ahoy, ahoy.

Colt: 0:51

Arrgh Ugh, scurvy mate, I don't even know. The vast few ships Button down the anchors. Let's get this prize Right, yarrgh, beware those sea dogs.

Owen: 1:10

I don't think they had radios back then, but they did have pirate radio in the 1960s.

Colt: 1:18

Napster wasn't around.

Owen: 1:20

Sorry, napster wasn't around in the 60s, oh, no, it was not, but sitting atop HM, fort Ruffs, aka Ruffs Tower, is now the alleged sovereign principality of Sealand. It's found six and a half nautical miles east of Suffolk, england. It was originally an anti-aircraft fort occupied by 150 to 300 members of the Royal Navy during World War II. Fort Ruffs was decommissioned in the 1950s and, after several years of being abandoned, became a very popular pirate radio station. You know about this, my friend, pirates end, oh yeah.

Colt: 2:08

Arrgh, argh, argh. Sorry, radio Essex. Back then we used to raid the coast. Well, no, we would have launched from some coast in the UK as pirate folk. I'm not a pirate, I don't even know what I'm talking. Like that for. No, this is pretty amazing, bro, you can't.

Colt: 2:28

Back in those days in the UK the BBC had the total monopoly on the airwaves, meaning that, like if they didn't broadcast it in whatever way, it just wasn't. That was it. And there was even some things I had heard where they wouldn't play the Rolling Stones for the top 20 because sometimes they would play stuff like that during an episode on their radio show or whatnot. Sometimes they would play stuff like that during an episode on their radio show or whatnot, but they would have, like, the orchestra fill in and play the music but not the lyrics, which I thought was kind of funny. So you know, back in these days when you know people needed to take some drastic measures to feel free. I suppose Sounds like some piratey shit to me.

Colt: 3:11

In the 1960s, as dusk fell, radios across the UK underwent a transformation. The familiar BBC broadcasts gave way to the rebellious sounds of rock and roll and emanating from ships anchored in international waters. So you know, out there, beyond the reach of the British law, they're out there, guys, these sea pirate radio folks In the 60s anyway. So among the most prominent stations were Radio Carolina, 199, and Wonderful Radio London, 266, collectively known as the all-day music station. So those are the two big dogs. Apparently, in this, the impact of pirate radio extended beyond music and entertainment, notably the establishment of the principality of Sealand, as we're touching on today, because it had to be taken in a very piratical way, I feel.

Owen: 3:59

Yeah, I mean, the history of it is the fact that it's just this piece of concrete, I mean, I guess like minimalizing its importance, but it's just something sitting out there, abandoned, and then the fact that it brought I mean it sounded as if it would like, as music does, bring joy to all these people that couldn't listen to what they wanted to listen to all the time, and I hear that there are even advertisers interested, as the presenters are also more entertaining than I can't imagine how dry some of the BBC stuff you know I mean love, some rock and roll can be attributed to the British more than anything.

Owen: 4:44

I would think, well, I mean it's debatable, but it really took off because of that. And then the fact that, yeah, they wouldn't, it wasn't prim and proper or whatever, so you couldn't play it, so you'd only have it during certain hours, and multiple folks thought like fuck this, I'll go post up on a you know seven miles roughly from land and just to play music. It's a really cool idea.

Colt: 5:15

It is.

Owen: 5:16

It's amazing, and it still lays claim to being the smallest nation. I believe I think it was 2008 that the Guinness Book of World Records that I read said that it's not official, it has not been recognized, but they still claim to be a sovereign principality.

Colt: 5:37

Yeah Right, you know that's a thing, man. I mean it feels like to me that they've taken all the steps to become a nation. You know, they've proven, they're outside, you know British waters and all these things. They can't be touched by any country really. So it's kind of like put plant in your flag and yell woo-hoo. You know, shoot your gun in the air, throw in some molotovs, that sort of thing. That's exactly what it is really.

Owen: 6:01

I mean it's like, and exactly what happened, although in 1987, I did see that British waters expanded and it fell within British territory of letters, there's been a lot going on with our sovereign friend to the east.

Colt: 6:23

Yeah, as we are, we're Shantyplexites, we're from the Shantyplex, that's our nation. We don't necessarily have an island or anything or whatnot, but it doesn't matter, I'm glad it's an island. Yeah, me too. Right now I am. You know, I'm close to the coast, but I don't feel like trying to find a buoy or something to sit upon and claim. But this, you know, the thing about it is is it makes sense, I guess. I mean, I think these guys took it pretty freaking far. In an interview I heard and I'm just going to be real brief about it, but with his son, um, roy Bates, uh, with his son Michael, that he, when they first acquired Sealand, they uh, he, really they both kind of were like it's gonna to be like a six-month deal. We're placing records, woo-hoo, you know, do all this shit and be out, you know. And that is not the case. In the interview I heard, he's like and now here we are, 60 years later, or whatever it was, and it's like oh my god, yeah, that's pretty amazing.

Owen: 7:26

Yeah, it appears one can still become a baron or baroness or count or countess or lord or lady of Sealand, and I forget what. The what implies that you've been knighted as either Very interesting.

Colt: 7:46

I don't know, man, there's so much things that we get like. I guess, at the end of the day, when you were talking about how the uh, the water, they, they expanded their, their territorial waters, I heard a little thing where that they had went into court and argued basically, well, yeah, but you're talking about low tide, you know, so like you can't, oh, wow, yeah, and so I do believe they may have won that argument. There was. There's so many things Do you want to get into? How they protected Sealand? What do you?

Owen: 8:22

want to do, bro, let's go. Oh, I mean, there's so much to this. Yeah, I mean they. With the one I saw, or one of the things I saw, with a first that Patty Roy's Patty Roy Bates' son, Michael Bates, when British workers were out working on a navigational buoy, he fired warning shots, as they had. I think, yeah, pops, Paddy, Paddy Roy yeah, what a cool name had deemed it Sealand's Territorial Waters, and so they were Warning shots. Not infringing, isn't it, but they're trespassing. I guess. I don't know if you trespass on water Well you can.

Colt: 9:13

I mean, yeah, there's international waters, right, Otherwise there wouldn't be such a thing.

Owen: 9:18

But it's like yeah, right, otherwise there wouldn't be such a thing, you know, so like. But it's like yeah, if somebody like owns the water, I know like, get off my lawn, like I'm getting old enough that I don't say that I don't know. I'm like, oh, now I kind of understand, but to get off my water yeah, I don't know.

Colt: 9:32

We're gonna have to call our law firm and touch on that.

Owen: 9:35

environmental friends the maritime law offices found on the rest of development, where he says he's a maritime lawyer oh my goodness, good show, good show, good show.

Colt: 9:50

Hey, you know, one of the things that was interesting to me was the take. I keep seeing that this kid, he he said, right, this is funny, he was talking to this interviewer and basically he's like you know, the thing people don't get is out there. Back then there was no phones, you had a radio, but even then it's just a shot in the dark. You know, you're not sure if somebody's gonna be within range so you can call or put out calls and somebody may not come. So here I am, out there on this, like in the middle of the freaking ocean, and you know his parents would take off and go do things and just whatever. And the isolation. He's like you got to be really cool being isolated, as well as all the like everything else. Because even though we're up here on the North Sea and it's notoriously rough, which it is that's the infamous ocean where, you know, many Viking ships have went down, whole fleets have disappeared.

Colt: 10:48

There's actually a really great story from way back. I think it's right before the Great Heathen Army arrives in the UK. I think it's right before the Great Heathen Army arrives in the UK. But this king had brought his fleet from Denmark and they had started piling up in the fucking bay you know what I'm saying and they were getting ready to attack the city I wish I could remember which one it was, or what Abbey or whatnot. But they started doing that and all of a sudden, a great storm came and just wiped them all away and that's the North Sea. Like they could just see them just getting as they were coming in, and the storm came in. It took out like hundreds of ships. It's amazing. So this is dangerous water. This is like the type of shit where when you're watching, you weren't going swimming, like just like, oh, just hop off.

Owen: 11:34

No, I don't know how tall that fork is, but I would guess like yeah. But also I was thinking like, what would you do? Like, oh, I'll go for a walk. Oh, fuck, yeah, right, yeah, walk to the edge of Right.

Colt: 11:49

No, super dangerous, oh, I could walk to the other.

Owen: 11:54

And then I don't know, Did you see how big the platform is, or whatever? I mean not big enough to be like, oh shit, I'll just go for it, and I doubt it's miles wide or anything.

Colt: 12:04

No, I wasn't even. You know what. I have no idea. I assumed it was Me either.

Owen: 12:09

But did you see? I'm sorry, my friend, this is just interesting facts, Like I was kind of wanting to do sort of the history, but now it's just like how much has gone on at this place? Yeah, it's insane. Dude ran a half marathon on Sealand so I am very interested to know how big there was. I found.

Colt: 12:33

Did he get dizzy? I don't know.

Owen: 12:35

I would think like, yeah, where are you just running from like side to side, and they have many national athletes. None of them have ever even set foot, apparently.

Colt: 12:45

But mini golf, football American football yeah, I've seen that they're the Seahawks.

Owen: 12:54

Kung fu. They hosted a Red Bull skateboarding event in 2008, but who was the man that ran? Yeah, he ran like around, see the half marathon, that's like 13 miles.

Colt: 13:07

Right, that's quite a bit. Hey, you know what, while you're looking for that, do you want to know what the families? Uh, back in the 60s anyway. I don't know how old this cat is, but, like their family cat, do you want to know the name? I picked this one up just for fun.

Owen: 13:23

Yes, yes, I would love to know the name of the family cat, everybody.

Colt: 13:28

Hey, this is in-depth. Okay, fruitcake, just thought you'd like to know that. That's it, that's there. Hey, you know what Something I hear?

Owen: 13:37

I'm going to make this comparison Not only are you stuck on a platform where you can't, and you might like fish cats, but don't jump from the ocean, right, yeah, your name is Fruitcake, fruitcake.

Colt: 13:49

I didn't see what kind of cat it was, but I thought this Fruitcake lasts forever. Alright, that's a seal. Look at sealand man. You know, you just do you think it's gonna go away and it doesn't.

Colt: 14:03

One of the greatest quotes was after they had beaten a case or they're about to go in, okay, so basically here I'll tell this quick story. I'm sorry, uh, they had gotten into an altercation with some other piratey folk and, uh, they had chased him off of the boat and they were shooting at him from the boat and so this got him in trouble. They got arrested, him and his son. So Patty Roy Bates and his son Michael, both got arrested and they were taken to Sussex, I think, right, sussex County or whatever. We don't know the UK as well as we should people, sorry. So anyway, took him into town, uh, they're getting brought before judge. And the judge stopped everything and he said you know we're gonna have to go look and see if this is even something we can try first of all, so we'll be right back. So you know, they're sitting there sweating shit, and it was a moment where he said that it was a. Michael said it was the first time he had seen his dad kind of be unsure of what was going to happen, because this guy basically went into everything thinking he was going to win. That's just how he was, but this was the time, so they wait.

Colt: 15:06

This judge comes back out and he looks at him and he says first, I'm going to say one thing this is the type of case that should have been heard during the first Queen Victoria's court, which is in all its piratical nature, you know, and yeah, that's the the back in the pirate days, people, and so anyway, that's how he kind of let off with it, which I thought was kind of funny. And then he determined that there was no reason to uh, that they were outside jurisdiction and basically they can't do anything about it. It is his thing. He sees no need to try to amend a law or create a new one just to deal with Mr Roy Bates. He said at the end of it all he feels one day he'll just leave the platform on his own accord and that's how the judge ended.

Colt: 15:55

I feel one of their last cases where they had been involved with some ruckus. I thought that was very, very well put by this English judge, whatever British I don't know, whatever the fuck. Anyway, sorry about that. Good to see you both. Yeah, this is my story. I tell stories. Hey, did you find the half marathon guy's name?

Owen: 16:18

Oh fuck, I thought I was so enthralled by hearing the tale of the judge. But Shut the fuck up.

Colt: 16:27

Just a guess. I was just joking.

Owen: 16:31

And then if, uh, if Taddy Roy like thought he was always gonna win, you'd think if, uh, god rest Guru from Gangstar and much respect to DJ Premier, but he probably would have liked the track Play to Win.

Colt: 16:48

Y'all cats know we always play to win, yeah no shit man, that's not like Mr Bates' attitude, right, no, just a mantra even Right. Like well, think about this, it is so intense. I mean he, okay, talk about the passports briefly and like, oh, here, hold on, I'll get into this one. So there was a point in time where they were appointing all these people, right? And uh, what was the German fellow's name that he appointed like prime minister? Alexander Achenbach? Ah, thank you. So Mr Achenbach, which he didn't know this at the time. He was from Germany and he went under the guise that he was like a jewelry dealer and other things you know, but he was a pretty shady character dealing in a lot of, like, fake passports and shit. I think I heard even, but nonetheless, that was his prime minister. Eventually, mr Achenbach.

Owen: 17:45

He declared himself as such right Trying to take over. There you are.

Colt: 17:49

In 1978,.

Owen: 17:52

Yes, they read about Mr Achenbach, the attorney.

Colt: 17:57

Oh see, that's yeah. Well, achenbach, actually he was a separate fellow, he came with the attorney. Oh see, that's yeah. Well, achenbach, actually he was a separate fellow, he came with his attorney. I don't didn't catch the attorney's name, but this is where the part. I heard it directly from Michael Bates, his mouth, so like it's like, but oh, so him and the attorney?

Owen: 18:12

Okay, well, yeah, so I'm sorry, I thought I probably misread that it's Achenbach comma and an attorney.

Colt: 18:18

I either way nonetheless, you know, when you look at the wikipedia, which you really, you know, gotta watch it, obviously, but all these, uh, sea, land things are they're like. Beware, this page is definitely not fact checked or whatever the hell it's, it's got warnings on it, so there's a lot of lore around a place like this. You know, it's kind of like trying to dig way back into ancient history, or like you know medieval history and you're trying to figure out a guy from a poem. You know what I'm saying, right?

Owen: 18:47

Oh, because it was on that and it didn't Sealand. I think you mentioned that to. Sorry, no, it's cool man, but before we talked about doing this, you said that there is like sealandgovorg, and that was what I looked up some of the info on.

Colt: 19:04

No, that's great. That's their direct website, govorg. I love that. So they're still coming at us, man, coming at this world of ours, and they won't give up. Guys, the thing was, with this, okay.

Colt: 19:19

Eventually they had a disagreement and so one day, when both his parents were gone, michael was left alone at sealand. Um, mr achenbach and some associates tried to fly in with a chopper. Uh, apparently the tower is made with like steeples or what, I can't recall them, but you can't land a helicopter on it. They're made that like that from world war ii, you know. So it's like a military thing. Anyway, they lowered themselves down.

Colt: 19:45

Um, long story short, they locked michael in sealand for two days and at the end of it all, when they'd let him go because he got tired of waiting I guess I don't know they just took over sealand, sent him back on a fucking boat and they came back and got sealand back in a pretty crazy way, a similar nature, where they got lowered in and had to do with sawed-off shotguns and all sorts of shit. I mean real piratical things, man. You know, I don't know if they had grappling hooks or what, but they jumped in michael and patty and retook sealand from this german and his lawyer and their goons. But apparently Mr Achenbach got away from this but the lawyer did not. So they captured the lawyer and they ended up having like a trial. Did you read about that?

Owen: 20:35

Yeah, yeah. And then they had to send, like Germany actually sent a diplomat right to kind of negotiate and it was, the release was yeah, yeah, I forget the, and it was the release was yeah, yeah, and forget the. And it showed, I think, because Sealand had its own currency, Like they demanded whatever or no, no, no, no, no. I guess it was Deutschmarks, because they just thought DM that it was. But Sealand did proclaim its own currency in 1975, I think? Yeah, Yep, that's who I based it.

Colt: 21:05

It's the, I think the profile of his wife is what the currency is actually. Oh dang, which is pretty cool.

Owen: 21:12

I would do the same thing which, what a down woman to just be like sure I'll go. I mean she might have been deranged and I guess I'm not calling all these people deranged, but again, like I've been near the North Sea and, yeah, like sitting on the coast, I guess I didn't even go to the coast, Like that's close enough for me. I don't need to live where I can't see land. Right, I would not Ha See land, Get it. Yeah, that was unintentional. Is that an uncle joke? That was unintentional. Is that an uncle joke? Yeah, whatever man. Yes, yeah, that's like a dog dad joke. Someone who owns an 11-year-old dog.

Colt: 21:52

Hey, he's doing pretty good Speaking of pitbulls and such things. You guys should stop by pitlocksupplycom and pick up a shirt, or maybe check the show notes and check out our support the show link. Decide if you want to be a subscriber. It's pretty cheap. It's about like a cup of coffee a month cost ish range if you drink like one at starbucks or something like that.

Colt: 22:11

Guys, you know I'm saying, and if not, to be honest, if you're just listening and you like the episodes, you share them. That'd be great. Share them on social media. If you think your friends will laugh, that'd be, that'd be the best, to be honest. So, but we do appreciate all you guys and I just felt like I had to bring that up back to uh c-lab. I mean not, ha, remember? Do you remember the uh? I kept calling it c-lab. I even saved it into the uh, into the software c-lab bro, into my, my shit. So, like on accident, anybody who remembers c-Lab 2020 from Cartoon Network? It had caused me a lot of confusion and I was almost going to start the show with that kind of an opener and decided to go with the ARG Because I like pirate shit anyway. Anyway, I'm sorry. So yeah, at some point.

Owen: 22:59

Did you see that it was for sale?

Colt: 23:03

Yeah, I did see that. I think the Aqaba guy offered him like millions or something, and that's what caused that whole.

Owen: 23:11

Oh, I mean. No, this is like starting in 2007. Huh well, a Spanish estate company called Inmo Naranja which sounds very not Spanish Right Naranja, which sounds very not Spanish Right. They were trying to sell it for over $900 million US. And a principality cannot be sold. Oh, the owners of the Sealand, as I'm reading, offered transfer of custodianship. Dc Land, as I'm reading, offered transfer of custodianship, and one of the potential buyers couldn't raise money through donations to purchase what is really not for sale. For $900 million Right, someone would have got over.

Colt: 24:01

Yeah, no, I feel it Did you so. And also what was with the. There was passports, right. So I do know some things.

Owen: 24:08

Fantasy passports. They sold fantasy passports that were not technically for you know, viable for international travel. But I think when we were talking about this, you told me a very interesting story about the man who killed.

Colt: 24:26

Versace yeah, the man who killed Versace, apparently when he went into his boat cabin. Yet again, I double checked this from the interview with Michael. It's a thing he says and it was elsewhere I looked. So, nonetheless, the guy who killed Versace got into multiple countries using a Sealand passport and other banking documents from said passport. So basically, these were good enough passports that it had been known that, like criminal rings were using them in kind of unsuspecting countries or maybe countries where you could like forge things or, like you know, pay somebody off kind of shit. And the Sealand passports became like a thing that the criminal underworld was using to like I don't even know, probably human traffic, all sorts of craziness. Isn't that insane? I?

Owen: 25:14

mean, I hope not. You know not that any. Not that we can down any underworld no, not anymore underworld activities or anything. Not anymore, no. But I did read something about 4,000 fake Sealand passports were sold to Hong Kong residents for $1,000 apiece. Holy shit, money laundering and drug trafficking units from Iraq and Russia. I'll be damned.

Colt: 25:52

What a thing.

Owen: 25:53

Okay, not even just somebody that close. It wasn't like they were in Suffolk and they were pulling us off, but it was just like that's one of the most creative licks I ever heard of. I don't even know. Again, not condoning, it's horrible. They robbed you know. Basically, Well, yeah, I mean it's like Sold people Right Worthless shit for $1,000.

Colt: 26:18

Like a coyote kind of probably situation, unfortunately.

Owen: 26:23

Yeah, I know, yeah, hey, but still just like wait, the creative spirit of scammers is never to be underestimated. Well, you know, there's this tiny place that isn't really technically a place but isn't really a principality, but we can sell fake passports for it. Yeah, illegally to launder our God knows what, but we can sell fake passports for it. Yeah, illegally to launder our God knows what Well there's a lot of gray area with Sealand.

Colt: 26:54

You know, after that Versace thing happened, the only way they found out about it was because Interpol contacted him. So like that's how that is. It's just an insane thing, you know. Like think about, oh my God. Think about, like I don't know, this guy probably wasn't rich to start. I wouldn't assume. I guess it didn't look into that so much, but I don't even know if they're fucking rich now, to be honest, and at the end of the day, think about how many lives that guy impacted with Sealand. Like I don't give a fuck. We got this radio show or whatever. I'm so old I call it radio. We got a podcast and this guy went out and like took a World War II platform and made it into so many different things Fought pirates.

Owen: 27:45

And I did see, even though, like all the passports were revoked by Sealand oh, okay, good. In 1997, michael Bates said by late 2016, hundreds of people per day were applying for passports to Sealand.

Colt: 28:02

Well, it's a fun thing, Like to be honest. If they had a shirt, I'd probably buy one. Maybe I don't know.

Owen: 28:08

And then hey guys, yeah, it was like 20 bucks, I think, like it was starting to do that like baron or baroness, whatever. I think it was the lowest level. It was like starting at $75 to have something that says like, oh, I'm royalty, so that I'm like that's a fucking. Yeah, I don't want to be that gay anyway. That's a scam, you know, yeah, I think that's the. I mean, if not, they're telling you what you're going to get, I believe. But people probably don't. I mean, people are that, like, look at what people did like with violence. To just be like I want this chunk of concrete that's seven miles from From what? From land? Oh gosh, there's so much to this. People swam within a couple days, swam from Sealand to mainland and then argued over whose idea it was.

Colt: 29:05

That sounds impressively stupid, yeah.

Owen: 29:09

Call me good on that.

Colt: 29:12

I don't know. That just is intense. I'm surprised. It must have been as calm as it fucking gets.

Owen: 29:19

That's what I was thinking. I was like the calmest day. Yeah, I don't want to. Did they jump off the platform Again?

Colt: 29:27

I'm not sure how high it is but so many questions to be asked about Sea Land, my friend you know. But at the end of the day it's a fantastic story. I heard about it a while ago, you know. I watched like a show or something and then you brought it back into my life. So I appreciate that and I hope everybody else appreciates that too, because sometimes when things suck or they're great, you just got to laugh and do things of that nature Learn, laugh, do all this fun shit. Enjoy Sealand. Don't think about all the negative things about Sealand.

Owen: 30:05

It's pretty cool because there's some negative shit you can find guys Okay, but at the end of the day it's yeah, I mean, I was going to say like other, you know, very other than the kidnapping attempts and Molotov cocktails seem to be a very peace-loving, non-official micro nation.

Colt: 30:26

Right, I don't know. On that note, everybody have a good day or evening, whatever.

Owen: 30:34

Much love everybody.