Bombay Castle (South China Sea)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bombay Castle
Disputed island
Other names:
Bãi Ba Kè (Vietnamese)
蓬勃堡 Péngbó Bǎo (Chinese)
Abad Santos Shoal (Philippine English)
Kulumpol ng Abad Santos (Filipino)
Geography
Bombay Castle (South China Sea) is located in Spratly Islands
Bombay Castle (South China Sea)
LocationSouth China Sea
Coordinates07°50′N 111°40′E / 7.833°N 111.667°E / 7.833; 111.667Coordinates: 07°50′N 111°40′E / 7.833°N 111.667°E / 7.833; 111.667
ArchipelagoSpratly Islands
Administered by
Vietnam
ProvinceBà Rịa–Vũng Tàu province
Claimed by
China
Taiwan
Map of the Spratly Islands showing Bombay Castle and Rifleman Bank

Bombay Castle, also known in Vietnamese: Bãi Ba Kè; Mandarin Chinese: 蓬勃堡; pinyin: Péngbó Bǎo;[1] Abad Santos Shoal (Tagalog: Kulumpol ng Abad Santos, lit. 'Cluster of Abad Santos'), is a shoal with a lighthouse in the of the southern Spratly Islands. It is occupied by Vietnam,[2] but also claimed by China (PRC) and Taiwan (ROC).

Location and topography[]

Bombay Castle consists of a submerged reef located between

 WikiMiniAtlas
07°50′N 111°40′E / 7.833°N 111.667°E / 7.833; 111.667 and
 WikiMiniAtlas
07°56′N 111°42′E / 7.933°N 111.700°E / 7.933; 111.700 (between
 WikiMiniAtlas
07°50′N 111°40′E / 7.833°N 111.667°E / 7.833; 111.667 and
 WikiMiniAtlas
07°56′N 111°42′E / 7.933°N 111.700°E / 7.933; 111.700) at the northern end of Rifleman Bank.[3][4] At its shallowest point, it has a depth of 3 metres (9.8 ft) consisting of sand and coral.[5] It is 80 miles (130 km) east of Huyền Trân () and nearly 80 miles (130 km) west of An Bang (Amboyna Cay).[6]

Bombay Castle has a 22.5 metres (74 ft) tall lighthouse on steel pilings that was built in 1995. The lighthouse is two storied, with accommodation for the lighthouse keepers and a dish antenna.[7][8]

The reef is named after the East Indiaman Bombay Castle.[9]

DK1 rigs[]

In addition to the lighthouse (DK1/21), three other DK1 rigs ("economic, scientific and technological service stations") have been constructed by Vietnam in this area. The current (2015) cluster has 3 rigs in use.

  • DK1/4: Completed 16 June 1989, was the 2nd DK1 rig completed. It collapsed on the night of 4 December 1990 during a heavy storm.[10]
  • DK1/9: Completed 22 August 1993.[11]
  • DK1/20: Completed 13 August 1998.[12]
  • DK1/21: Completed 19 August 1998. This rig includes a lighthouse.[13]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Glossary of names - South China Sea". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  2. ^ "Bombay Castle". East Asian Studies Library. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  3. ^ Pub 161 - Sailing Directions - South China Sea and the Gulf of Thailand (Ninth ed.). U.S.A: ProStar Publications, Inc. 20 November 2004. p. 14. ISBN 157785652X. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  4. ^ Samuels, Marwyn (2013). Contest for the South China Sea. Routledge. p. 191. ISBN 1136575537. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  5. ^ Valencia, Mark J.; Dyke, Jon M. Van; Ludwig, Noel A. (July 1999). Sharing the Resources of the South China Sea. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0824818814. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  6. ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the Spratly Islands". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  7. ^ "Lighthouse - VMS South - Ba Kè". Southern Vietnam Maritime Safety Corporation. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  8. ^ "Photo of Bombay Castle Lighthouse, Rifleman Bank". Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  9. ^ "The voyages of Bombay Castle". RMG Archives. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  10. ^ "Photographs of DK1/4". hoangsa.org. Archived from the original on 2015-04-11.
  11. ^ "Photographs of DK1/9". hoangsa.org. Archived from the original on 2015-04-11. close-up Archived 2015-04-11 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ "Photographs of DK1/20". hoangsa.org. Archived from the original on 2014-06-06.
  13. ^ "Photographs of DK1/21". hoangsa.org. Archived from the original on 2015-04-11.

External links[]

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