Bombay Castle (South China Sea)

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 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 island
Other names:
Bãi 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
Administered by
Vietnam
DistrictTrường Sa District
Claimed by
China
Taiwan
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 Spratlys". 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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