THE THEAMES EASTUARY SEA FORTS:
the sea forts stood against invasion they were the most amazing forts but only 3 remain of the 21 forts, the maunsell forts where mostly built at tilbury docks. The great Nore, roughs and sunkhead where some of the other forts that dont exist anyomore.
they where all set up on sand banks they where manned by the navy (they manned 4) the army manned 3, the forts resembled large rafts on large concrete legs, they were intalled in 1943 the red sands and shivering sands forts (still here today and red sands is being restored), 7 steel boxes on 4 metal legs joined by open walkways.
the sea forts were used for anti aircraft and minelaying operations, each army fort was armed with 2 bofors guns and 4 AA machine guns, the navy forts were aremed with 2 light anti-ship guns
RED SANDS:
red sands sea fort was used in world war 2 as an anti aircraft defence, the 7 towers were 4 AA gun towers in a circular formation with a command tower in the middle and a searchlight just outside the circle.
the redsands fort now (under restoration)
red sands shot down 22 aircraft and 31 flying bombs when in active service
the red sands searchinght tower is also said to be hunted and when the pirate redio stations were active no one would go into that tower alone.
the tower labled "radio tower" is incorrect the radio mast was put there after, when redsands was used as a pirate radio station, that tower was the bofors tower.
SHIVERING SANDS FORT:
this fort is the same type as red sands but has only 6 towers becuase the 7th was hit by a ship on a foggy night and collapsed. though im not sure how the ship managed to miss all the other towers
picture below from http://www.webbaviation.co.uk/gallery/v/kent/MaunsellSeaForts/ (you can buy the prints from there.
KNOCK JOHN SEA FORT:
Knock john was a naval sea fort used again for defending the channel against aircraft and ships along with sunk head, the roughs and the tounge sands naval towers, knock john was used for anti-shipping and anit-minelaying opperations.
the forts were a of more simple construction than the army forts as instead of seven seperate towers there was just one platform with two large concrete legs which would have had sleeping quarders for the men manning them.
a problem with the forts was that being out at sea there was a problem with issolation so crews on any of the forts had to change after a fixed amount of time, but it all depended if the sea was calm enough to send a boat out for the crew transfer.
howerver the issolation became apparent when one night on the knock john fort a new naval recruit packed up his things went on deck and jumped over the edge of the fort into the sea.
Knock John being put into place before its legs were sunk into the sand.
Knock John being grounded to the sea bed.
Knock John today.
