• Sealand A microstate on a sea platform: "When I arrived they gave me a lord's title"
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They look like something out of The War of the Worlds, the novel by H. G. Wells. But when they were built 80 years ago, their role was not to defend the UK from an alien invasion, but from Germany's attacks in World War II. They succeeded. These unusual sea fortresses, better known as Fort Maunsell after the surname of the engineer who designed them, knocked down 22 planes, destroyed 30 bombs and even sank a submarine in the Thames estuary.

Today, many see in them the vehicles of the Imperial Army (AT-AT) from Star Wars. Whatever the saga, the truth is that they still seem to be a product of science fiction. It is also true that some of these structures have had a movie history. Because next to the three forts, the Royal Navy also built four offshore platforms. Many were used by pirate radio stations in the twentieth century. Others became microstates, such as Sealand, which declared itself a sovereign nation in the 60s.

Fort Red Sands, near the seaside town of Whitstable in the county of Kent, is the best preserved and therefore a handful of boats organize excursions. It has the seven towers originally drawn by the fort. In their day, these structures on high piles were connected by steel walkways and surrounded another tower that served as a central command. Up to 265 soldiers came to live in each fort for periods of 36 days.

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It must not have been easy. In 2005, artist Stephen Turner occupied the worst-preserved Shivering Sands fort as an exploration of the sense of isolation. The experience of being completely alone during these 36 days in the Thames estuary gave him to write a book. Without going that far, the goal of Project Redsands, an organization founded to preserve the homonymous fort, is that "public tours can be conducted safely and give visitors a comprehensive view of how the fort was built, why it was built and the uses that have been given to it over the decades since its construction."

A battle, that of tourist visits, in which they are still immersed. At the moment, they are one of the operators of the excursions that bring the curious closer to the forts. They do it in the X-Pilot, a ship with capacity for 12 passengers led by Captain Alan Harmer.

From Whitsable, about two hours from London by car, Oyster Coast Watersports also operates. This is the closest port to the military forts, about 12 kilometers from the mainland, and offers various excursions along the coast. For its part, Jetstream Tours does the same from the town of Chatham. His vessel Jacob Marley is a catamaran with capacity for 60 passengers, probably the most comfortable way to visit the towers.

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