Maunsell Army Sea Forts

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Rusty invaders out of H.G. Wells, the Maunsell Army Forts in the Thames Estuary are decaying reminders of the darkest days of World War II.

Across Europe, there are monuments to remember the Second World War, and miles off the coast of England, there's one that many don't know about.

  The Maunsell Army and Navy Forts on the Thames Estuary once protected the UK from bombs, but today they are dilapidated, abandoned structures that you can only reach by boat

Part of the Thames Estuary Defense Network, the anti-aircraft tower-forts were built in 1942, each fort consisting of seven tower buildings surrounding a central command tower.  In operation, catwalks are connected to buildings.  Built on land and then transported to their watery homes, the forts were designed by British civil engineer Guy Maunsell, later known for his innovations in concrete bridge design.  Originally there were three of these forts, but only two remain: Redsands Fort and Shivering Sands Fort.


Each tower rested on four concrete legs.  The buildings above these feet were made of steel, were two stories high, and measured 36 feet by 36 feet.

Each of these forts had weapons and sleeping quarters for soldiers

                              Solider on one of the forts in 1944

At any given time, 265 men lived in each fort.  For many, an assignment in the forts was cold, lonely and long.

After their successful wartime career, the forts were decommissioned in the 1950s.  The Knorr military fort was badly damaged by a storm and a ship collision and was dismantled in 1959-60.  In the 1960s and 70s, the remaining abandoned forts became famous as pirate radio stations.  A naval fort near the micro-nation Principality of Sealand called Ruff's Tower was built by The Maunsell.  All the military forts are now abandoned.


In 2003, Project Redsands was formed with the goal of protecting and restoring Redsands Fort, which was chosen over Shiver Sands due to its better preservation.  More recently, in 2005, artist Stephen Turner captured Shivering Sands Fort for 36 days, roughly the same amount of time a WWII soldier spent at the fort.  He described the project as an experiment in isolation and wrote a blog and book about the project.  In 2008, Prodigy shot a music video in Redsands.

The forts are now in various states of disrepair, and attempting to enter them would be ill-advised, if not illegal.  They can be seen by boat or, on a clear day, from Shoeburyness East Beach

  According to Underground Kent, an organization dedicated to exploring and documenting military sites in Kent: “Access for the men stationed at these forts was through a gate at the foot of the platform.  Parts of the ladder used by the men can still be seen today, but are in very poor condition.  Of course, trying to access these forts is extremely dangerous, and they are best viewed by boat and from a safe distance.














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