HM Fort Roughs is one of several World War II installations that were designed by Guy Maunsell and known collectively as His Majesty's Forts or as Maunsell Sea Forts; the purpose of which was to guard the port of Harwich, Essex, and more broadly, the Thames estuary. This 4,500 ton artificial naval installation is similar in some respects to "fixed" offshore oil platforms. It is situated on Rough Sands, a sandbar located approximately from the coast of Suffolk and from the coast of Essex. Today it is the location and de-facto capital of the unrecognised, self-proclaimed state of Sealand.
History
1942: Construction, positioning, occupation
thumb|250px|The stages involved in sinking of the naval fort.
As a contemporary historical society notes, Fort Roughs or the "Rough Towers" was "the first of originally four naval forts designed by G. Maunsell to protect the Thames Estuary." The artificial sea fort was constructed in dry dock at Red Lion Wharf, Gravesend, Although setting off from Tilbury docks on the morning of 9 February 1942, an eventful journey meant that it did not reach its final destination until 16:00 on 11 February 1942.
Climate
Location
According to the Admiralty chart the fort's location is at 51°53.71′N 1°28.83′E. The structure is marked by east and west cardinal buoys.