Bombay Castle (South China Sea)

Bombay Castle, also known in Vietnamese: Đá 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 reef with a lighthouse in the Rifleman Bank of the southern Spratly Islands. It is occupied by Vietnam,[2] but also claimed by China (PRC) and Taiwan (ROC).

Bombay Castle
Disputed reef
Bombay Castle
Bombay Castle is located in Spratly Islands
Bombay Castle
Bombay Castle
Other names
Đá Ba Kè (Vietnamese)
蓬勃堡 Péngbó Bǎo (Chinese)
Abad Santos Shoal (Philippine English)
Kulumpol ng Abad Santos (Filipino)
Geography
LocationSouth China Sea
Coordinates07°50′N 111°40′E
ArchipelagoSpratly Islands
Administration
ProvinceBà Rịa–Vũng Tàu province
Claimed by
 Brunei
 China
 Taiwan
 Vietnam
Map of the Spratly Islands showing Bombay Castle and Rifleman Bank

Location and topography

Bombay Castle consists of a submerged reef located between 07°50′N 111°40′E and 07°56′N 111°42′E (between 7.833°N 111.667°E / 7.833; 111.667 and 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 (Alexandra Bank) 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.
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