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Bombay Castle

Disputed reef
Bombay Castle
Bombay Castle
Other names	Đá Ba Kè (Vietnamese) 蓬勃堡 Péngbó Bǎo (Chinese) Abad Santos Shoal (Philippine English) Buhanginan ng Abad Santos (Filipino)
Geography
Location	South China Sea
Coordinates	07°50′N 111°40′E / 7.833°N 111.667°E / 7.833; 111.667
Archipelago	Spratly Islands
Administration
Vietnam
District	Trường Sa District
Township	Trường Sa Township
Claimed by
Brunei
China
Taiwan
Vietnam

Bombay Castle, also known in Vietnamese: Đá Ba Kè; Mandarin Chinese: 蓬勃堡; pinyin: Péngbó Bǎo; Abad Santos Shoal (Filipino: Buhanginan ng Abad Santos, lit. 'Sandbank of Abad Santos'), is a reef with a lighthouse in the Rifleman Bank of the southern Spratly Islands. It is occupied by Vietnam, but also claimed by China (PRC) and Taiwan (ROC).

Location and topography

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

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.

The reef is named after the East Indiaman Bombay Castle.

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.
• DK1/9: Completed 22 August 1993.
• DK1/20: Completed 13 August 1998.
• DK1/21: Completed 19 August 1998. This rig includes a lighthouse.

See also

• List of maritime features in the Spratly Islands

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

• 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

v t e Spratly Islands
Confrontations	Southwest Cay incident (1975) East Sea Campaign (1975) Johnson South Reef Skirmish (1988)
Regions	Dangerous Ground Loaita Bank London Reefs North Danger Reef Reed Tablemount Tizard Bank Union Banks
Occupied features	Brunei Louisa Reef China Cuarteron Reef Fiery Cross Reef Gaven Reefs Hughes Reef Johnson South Reef Mischief Reef Subi Reef Malaysia Ardasier Reef Dallas Reef Erica Reef Investigator Shoal Mariveles Reef Swallow Reef Philippines Commodore Reef Flat Island Irving Reef Lankiam Cay Loaita Cay Loaita Island Nanshan Island Northeast Cay Second Thomas Shoal Thitu Island West York Island Taiwan Taiping Island Zhongzhou Reef Vietnam Alison Reef Amboyna Cay Barque Canada Reef Bombay Castle Central London Reef Collins Reef Cornwallis South Reef Discovery Great Reef East London Reef Grierson Reef Ladd Reef Lansdowne Reef Namyit Island Pearson Reef Petley Reef Sand Cay Sin Cowe Island South Reef Southwest Cay Spratly Island Tennent Reef West London Reef
Unoccupied features	First Thomas Shoal Half Moon Shoal Luconia Shoals Northeast Investigator Shoal Royal Captain Shoal Sabina Shoal Third Thomas Shoal Western Reef Whitsun Reef
Related articles	Spratly Islands dispute Free Territory of Freedomland "Great Wall of Sand" List of airports in the Spratly Islands List of maritime features in the Spratly Islands Philippines and the Spratly Islands Republic of Morac-Songhrati-Meads Territorial disputes in the South China Sea Nine-dash line

• Reefs of the Spratly Islands
• Rifleman Bank
• Disputed reefs