Bombay Castle (South China Sea) Explained

Bombay Castle, also known in vi|Đá Ba Kè; Mandarin ;^[1] Abad Santos Shoal (fil|Buhanginan ng Abad Santos|lit=Sandbank of [[José Abad Santos|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).

Location and topography

Bombay Castle consists of a submerged reef located between and (between and) at the northern end of Rifleman Bank.^{[3] [4]} At its shallowest point, it has a depth of consisting of sand and coral.^[5] It is east of Huyền Trân (Alexandra Bank) and nearly west of An Bang (Amboyna Cay).^[6]

Bombay Castle has a 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 .^[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

• List of maritime features in the Spratly Islands

External links

• Vietnamese lighthouse on Bombay Castle (photo)
• NGA chart 93049 showing Rifleman, Southwest and Vanguard Banks, (7-9N,109-112E), oceangrafix.com
• Larger scale charts also showing Vietnam coast: NGA chart 93020 (7-10N,104-110E), NGA chart 93030 (9-16N,105-116E), oceangrafix.com
• DK1 rigs photo gallery, hoangsa.org
  • Bombay Castle

Notes and References

1. Web site: Glossary of names - South China Sea . www.globalsecurity.org . 6 June 2014.
2. Web site: Bombay Castle . East Asian Studies Library . 6 June 2014.
3. Book: Pub 161 - Sailing Directions - South China Sea and the Gulf of Thailand . 20 November 2004 . ProStar Publications, Inc. . U.S.A . 157785652X . 14 . Ninth . 6 June 2014 .
4. Book: Samuels . Marwyn . Contest for the South China Sea . 2013 . Routledge . 1136575537 . 191 . 6 June 2014.
5. Book: Valencia . Mark J. . Dyke . Jon M. Van . Ludwig . Noel A. . Sharing the Resources of the South China Sea . July 1999 . University of Hawaii Press . 0824818814 . 6 June 2014.
6. 6 June 2014.
7. Web site: Lighthouse - VMS South - Ba Kè . Southern Vietnam Maritime Safety Corporation . 6 June 2014.
8. Web site: Photo of Bombay Castle Lighthouse, Rifleman Bank . 6 June 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140606214602/http://ver2.hoangsa.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=5150&title=nh-c3-a0-gi-c3-a0n-dk1-2f20-ba-k-c3-a8-328ba-k-c3-a8-c-29&cat=110 . 6 June 2014.
9. Web site: The voyages of Bombay Castle . RMG Archives . 6 June 2014.
10. Web site: Photographs of DK1/4 . https://archive.today/20150411220131/http://ver2.hoangsa.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=1607&title=nh-c3-a0-gi-c3-a0n-dk1-2f4-ba-k-c3-a8-a-n-c4-83m-1989&cat=110 . dead . 2015-04-11 . hoangsa.org .
11. Web site: Photographs of DK1/9 . hoangsa.org . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150411160746/http://ver2.hoangsa.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=2121&title=nh-c3-a0-gi-c3-a0n-dk1-2f9-ba-k-c3-a8-2&cat=110 . 2015-04-11 . close-up
12. Web site: Photographs of DK1/20 . hoangsa.org . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140606214602/http://ver2.hoangsa.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=5150&title=nh-c3-a0-gi-c3-a0n-dk1-2f20-ba-k-c3-a8-328ba-k-c3-a8-c-29&cat=110 . 2014-06-06 .
13. Web site: Photographs of DK1/21 . hoangsa.org . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150411174456/http://ver2.hoangsa.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=9272&title=nh-c3-a0-gi-c3-a0n-dk1-2f21-ba-k-c3-a8b-e1-ba-a1ch-h-e1-bb-95&cat=110 . 2015-04-11 .