Macclesfield Bank is an elongated sunken atoll of underwater reefs and shoals in the South China Sea. It lies east of the Paracel Islands, southwest of Pratas Island and north of the Spratly Islands. It is about 130 km (81 mi) long from southwest to northeast, and about 70 km (43 mi) wide at its broadest part. [3] With an ocean area of 6,448 km2 (2,490 sq mi) it is one of the largest atolls of the world.[4] The Macclesfield Bank is part of what China calls the Zhongsha Islands, which includes a number of geographically separate submarine features, and also refers to a county-level administrative division.
Macclesfield banks reportedly were named after British ship named Macclesfield,[5][6] though there is some ambiguity which vessel this was. By one account, the vessel was the British East India CompanyEast IndiamanMacclesfield, which mapped and recorded the shoals in early 1701 on her way back to England from China.[7] An alternative origin story attributes the name to an HMS Macclesfield that reportedly ran aground in the vicinity of these shoals in 1804.[8][9][a]
In April 1888 HMS Rambler, under the command of William Usborne Moore, with Percy Bassett-Smith as Surgeon-Naturalist, mapped the banks. They found a depth of 40 to 50 fathoms (73 to 91 m) inside the bank, with the rim rising to within 9 fathoms (16 m) of the surface. Dredging found live corals, showing that although entirely submerged, the bank was an actively growing reef.[15]
Geographyedit
The broken coral reef rim of Macclesfield Bank, with a width of up to 8 km (5 mi), has depths of 11.8 m (39 ft) at Pygmy Shoal on the northeast end of the bank and depths of 11.6 to 18 m (59 ft) elsewhere. Within the lagoon, Walker Shoal marks the least known depth of 9.2 metres (30 ft). In general, the central lagoon is very deep, with depths up to 100 metres (330 ft). While the bank is everywhere submerged, with no drying shoals, it is usually visible due to the turbulence it causes, the seas becoming "high and confused" in heavy weather.[3]
The elongated atoll consists of the following shoals, clockwise starting in the northeast, and at the end the six named shoals in the lagoon:
Macclesfield Bank is claimed, in whole or in part, by China[16] and Taiwan (Republic of China).[17][18]
Jose Zaide, a Filipino diplomat of ambassadorial rank, has written that the Philippines does not claim the Macclesfield Bank.[19] Moreover, Macclesfield Bank is not within UNCLOS 200 or Philippines EEZ.[20]
As the bank is entirely underwater, some scholars have raised questions regarding the legality of territorial claims upon it with regards to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).[21][22][23][24] However, the Philippines filed claim for another underwater feature, the Benham Plateau, in 2008 in compliance with the requirements of UNCLOS and UN officially approved the claim in April 2012.[25][26][27][28]
Notesedit
^One problem with this attribution is that there is no record of any Royal Navy vessel named HMS Macclesfield.[10][11] Furthermore, there is no record of an East Indiaman named Macclesfield in 1804.[12] Nor is there any record of a Bombay country ship,[13] or a Calcutta country ship,[14] named Macclesfield.
Referencesedit
^Jones, Gareth Wyn (2002). "Provinces". In Boland-Crewe, Tara; Lea, David (eds.). The Territories of the People's Republic of China. London: Europa Publications. p. 101. ISBN978-0-203-40311-2.
^Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People's Republic of China (21 June 2012). [Ministry of Civil Affairs Announcement about the State Council Approval of the Establishment of the Prefecture-level City of Sansha] (in Chinese (China)). Archived from the original on 25 June 2012. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
^Tordesillas, Ellen (2014-09-08). "Justice Carpio: China's 9-dashed line- grand theft of Global Commons". VERA Files. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
^Chemillier-Gendreau, Monique (2000). Sovereignty Over the Paracel and Spratly Islands. Kluwer Law International. ISBN9041113819.
^China Sea pilot, Volume 1 (8th ed.). Taunton: UKHO - United Kingdom Hydrographic Office. 2010. from the original on 2014-03-21. Retrieved 2018-05-13.
^Horsburgh, James (1852). India Directory, Or Directions for Sailing to and from the East Indies, China, Australia, and the Interjacent Ports of Africa and South America. Vol. 2. William H. Allen & Company. p. 349.
^. History of the Spratlys. www.spratlys.org. Archived from the original on 6 January 2008. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
^"HMS Macclesfield (+1804)". wrecksite.eu. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
^* Winfield, Rif (2008). British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793–1817: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates (2nd ed.). Seaforth Publishing. ISBN978-1-86176-246-7.
^* Hackman, Rowan (2001). Ships of the East India Company. Gravesend, Kent: World Ship Society. ISBN0-905617-96-7.
^Bulley, Anne (2000). The Bombay Country Ships, 1790–1833. Routledge. ISBN978-0700712366.
^Phipps, John (1840). A Collection of Papers Relative to Ship Building in India ...: Also a Register Comprehending All the Ships ... Built in India to the Present Time ... Scott.
^Bassett-Smith, P.W. (1890). "Report on the corals from the Tizard and Macclesfield Banks, China Sea". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 6: 353–374, 485–500. doi:10.1080/00222939008694050.
^"Vietnam Law on Contested Islands Draws China's Ire". The New York Times. June 21, 2012. from the original on June 23, 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
^"Taiwan renews sovereignty claim over South China Sea islands". Focus Taiwan. May 5, 2012. from the original on May 7, 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
^"Limits in the Seas - No. 127 Taiwan's Maritime Claims" (PDF). United States Department of State. November 15, 2005. (PDF) from the original on January 1, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
^Zaide, Jose (July 10, 2012). "Saan Siya?". Manila Bulletin. Archived from the original on January 13, 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
^"Allocation of South China Sea features". southchinasea.org. from the original on 2015-12-17. Retrieved 2016-01-16.
^Poling, Gregory (2012-07-05). "Time to End Strategic Ambiguity in the South China Sea". Center for Strategic and International Studies. from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-07-21.
^Seoung-Yong Hong; Jon M. Van Dyke (2009). Maritime Boundary Disputes, Settlement Processes, and the Law of the Sea (Publications on Ocean Development). Brill. p. 149.
^Chi-kin Lo (1989). China's Policy Towards Territorial Disputes: The Case of the South China Sea Islands. Routledge. p. 25.
macclesfield, bank, zhongsha, redirects, here, other, uses, zhongsha, disambiguation, elongated, sunken, atoll, underwater, reefs, shoals, south, china, lies, east, paracel, islands, southwest, pratas, island, north, spratly, islands, about, long, from, southw. Zhongsha redirects here For other uses see Zhongsha disambiguation Macclesfield Bank is an elongated sunken atoll of underwater reefs and shoals in the South China Sea It lies east of the Paracel Islands southwest of Pratas Island and north of the Spratly Islands It is about 130 km 81 mi long from southwest to northeast and about 70 km 43 mi wide at its broadest part 3 With an ocean area of 6 448 km2 2 490 sq mi it is one of the largest atolls of the world 4 The Macclesfield Bank is part of what China calls the Zhongsha Islands which includes a number of geographically separate submarine features and also refers to a county level administrative division Macclesfield BankDisputed reefs and shoalsMacclesfield BankOther namesMiddle Sand Islands 1 GeographyLocationSouth China SeaCoordinates16 00 N 114 30 E 16 000 N 114 500 E 16 000 114 500 South China Sea Islands center Total islands0Major islandsNoneArea6 448 km2 2 490 sq mi total 0 km2 land surface isletsLength130 km 81 mi Width70 km 43 mi Highest elevation 9 2 m 30 2 ft Highest pointUnnamed point below sea levelAdministrationPeople s Republic of ChinaPrefecture level city ProvinceSansha 2 HainanClaimed byRepublic of China Taiwan MunicipalityKaohsiungDemographicsPopulationNone1920 nautical chart depths in fathomsMap all coordinates using OpenStreetMapDownload coordinates as KML GPX all coordinates GPX primary coordinates GPX secondary coordinates Contents 1 History 2 Geography 3 Territorial claims 4 Notes 5 References 6 See also 7 External linksHistory editMacclesfield banks reportedly were named after British ship named Macclesfield 5 6 though there is some ambiguity which vessel this was By one account the vessel was the British East India Company East Indiaman Macclesfield which mapped and recorded the shoals in early 1701 on her way back to England from China 7 An alternative origin story attributes the name to an HMS Macclesfield that reportedly ran aground in the vicinity of these shoals in 1804 8 9 a In April 1888 HMS Rambler under the command of William Usborne Moore with Percy Bassett Smith as Surgeon Naturalist mapped the banks They found a depth of 40 to 50 fathoms 73 to 91 m inside the bank with the rim rising to within 9 fathoms 16 m of the surface Dredging found live corals showing that although entirely submerged the bank was an actively growing reef 15 Geography editThe broken coral reef rim of Macclesfield Bank with a width of up to 8 km 5 mi has depths of 11 8 m 39 ft at Pygmy Shoal on the northeast end of the bank and depths of 11 6 to 18 m 59 ft elsewhere Within the lagoon Walker Shoal marks the least known depth of 9 2 metres 30 ft In general the central lagoon is very deep with depths up to 100 metres 330 ft While the bank is everywhere submerged with no drying shoals it is usually visible due to the turbulence it causes the seas becoming high and confused in heavy weather 3 The elongated atoll consists of the following shoals clockwise starting in the northeast and at the end the six named shoals in the lagoon EnglishName RomanizedName ChineseName Coordinates leastdepth fathoms Pigmy Pygmy Shoal Biwei Ansha 比微暗沙 16 13 N 114 44 E 16 217 N 114 733 E 16 217 114 733 Pigmy Shoal 7Engeria Egeria Bank Yinji Tan 隱磯灘 16 03 N 114 56 E 16 050 N 114 933 E 16 050 114 933 Engeria Bank 10Howard Shoal Wuyong Ansha 武勇暗沙 15 52 N 114 47 E 15 867 N 114 783 E 15 867 114 783 Howard Shoal 10Learmonth Shoal Jimeng Ansha 濟猛暗沙 15 42 N 114 41 E 15 700 N 114 683 E 15 700 114 683 Learmonth Shoal 9Plover Shoal Haijiu Ansha 海鳩暗沙 15 36 N 114 28 E 15 600 N 114 467 E 15 600 114 467 Plover Shoal 10Addington Patch Anding Lianjiao 安定連礁 15 37 N 114 24 E 15 617 N 114 400 E 15 617 114 400 Addington Patch 10Smith Shoal Meixi Ansha 美溪暗沙 15 27 N 114 12 E 15 450 N 114 200 E 15 450 114 200 Smith Shoal 9Bassett Shoal Bude Ansha 布德暗沙 15 27 N 114 10 E 15 450 N 114 167 E 15 450 114 167 Bassett Shoal 9Balfour Shoal Bofu Ansha 波洑暗沙 or 伏洑暗沙 15 27 N 114 00 E 15 450 N 114 000 E 15 450 114 000 Balfour Shoal 8Parry Shoal Paibo Ansha 排波暗沙 15 29 N 113 51 E 15 483 N 113 850 E 15 483 113 850 Parry Shoal 8Cawston Shoal Guodian Ansha 果淀暗沙 15 32 N 113 46 E 15 533 N 113 767 E 15 533 113 767 Cawston Shoal 10Penguin Bank Paihong Tan 排洪灘 15 38 N 113 43 E 15 633 N 113 717 E 15 633 113 717 Penguin Bank 9Tancred Shoal Taojing Ansha 濤靜暗沙 15 41 N 113 54 E 15 683 N 113 900 E 15 683 113 900 Tanered Shoal 10Combe Shoal Kongpai Ansha 控湃暗沙 15 48 N 113 54 E 15 800 N 113 900 E 15 800 113 900 Combe Shoal 7Cathy Cathay Shoal Huaxia Ansha 華夏暗沙 15 54 N 113 58 E 15 900 N 113 967 E 15 900 113 967 Cathy Shoal 7Siamese Shoal Simen Ansha 西門暗沙 15 58 N 114 03 E 15 967 N 114 050 E 15 967 114 050 Siamese Shoal 9Bankok Shoal Bengu Ansha 本固暗沙 16 00 N 114 06 E 16 000 N 114 100 E 16 000 114 100 Bankok Shoal 7Magpie Shoal Meibin Ansha 美濱暗沙 16 03 N 114 13 E 16 050 N 114 217 E 16 050 114 217 Magpie Shoal 8Carpenter Shoal Luban Ansha 魯班暗沙 16 04 N 114 18 E 16 067 N 114 300 E 16 067 114 300 Carpenter Shoal 8Oliver Shoal Zhongbei Ansha 中北暗沙 16 07 N 114 24 E 16 117 N 114 400 E 16 117 114 400 Oliver Shoal 7Hardy Patches1 Shitang Lianjiao 石塘連礁 16 02 N 114 46 E 16 033 N 114 767 E 16 033 114 767 Hardy Patches 8Hand Shoal1 Zhizhang Ansha 指掌暗沙 16 00 N 114 39 E 16 000 N 114 650 E 16 000 114 650 Hand Shoal 9Margesson Shoal1 Nanfei Ansha 南扉暗沙 15 55 N 114 38 E 15 917 N 114 633 E 15 917 114 633 Margesson Shoal 8Walker Shoal1 Manbu Ansha 漫步暗沙 15 55 N 114 29 E 15 917 N 114 483 E 15 917 114 483 Walker Shoal 5Phillip s Shoal1 Lexi Ansha 樂西暗沙 15 52 N 114 25 E 15 867 N 114 417 E 15 867 114 417 Phillip s Shoal 9Payne Shoal1 Pingnan Ansha 屏南暗沙 15 52 N 114 34 E 15 867 N 114 567 E 15 867 114 567 Payne Shoal 81 inside lagoonTerritorial claims edit nbsp South China SeaMacclesfield Bank is claimed in whole or in part by China 16 and Taiwan Republic of China 17 18 Jose Zaide a Filipino diplomat of ambassadorial rank has written that the Philippines does not claim the Macclesfield Bank 19 Moreover Macclesfield Bank is not within UNCLOS 200 or Philippines EEZ 20 As the bank is entirely underwater some scholars have raised questions regarding the legality of territorial claims upon it with regards to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea UNCLOS 21 22 23 24 However the Philippines filed claim for another underwater feature the Benham Plateau in 2008 in compliance with the requirements of UNCLOS and UN officially approved the claim in April 2012 25 26 27 28 Notes edit One problem with this attribution is that there is no record of any Royal Navy vessel named HMS Macclesfield 10 11 Furthermore there is no record of an East Indiaman named Macclesfield in 1804 12 Nor is there any record of a Bombay country ship 13 or a Calcutta country ship 14 named Macclesfield References edit Jones Gareth Wyn 2002 Provinces In Boland Crewe Tara Lea David eds The Territories of the People s Republic of China London Europa Publications p 101 ISBN 978 0 203 40311 2 Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People s Republic of China 21 June 2012 民政部关于国务院批准设立地级三沙市的公告 Ministry of Civil Affairs Announcement about the State Council Approval of the Establishment of the Prefecture level City of Sansha in Chinese China Archived from the original on 25 June 2012 Retrieved 21 June 2012 a b Sailing Directions Enroute Pub 161 South China Sea and the Gulf of Thailand PDF Sailing Directions United States National Geospatial Intelligence Agency 2020 p 6 Tordesillas Ellen 2014 09 08 Justice Carpio China s 9 dashed line grand theft of Global Commons VERA Files Retrieved 2023 12 11 Chemillier Gendreau Monique 2000 Sovereignty Over the Paracel and Spratly Islands Kluwer Law International ISBN 9041113819 China Sea pilot Volume 1 8th ed Taunton UKHO United Kingdom Hydrographic Office 2010 Archived from the original on 2014 03 21 Retrieved 2018 05 13 Horsburgh James 1852 India Directory Or Directions for Sailing to and from the East Indies China Australia and the Interjacent Ports of Africa and South America Vol 2 William H Allen amp Company p 349 Timeline History of the Spratlys www spratlys org Archived from the original on 6 January 2008 Retrieved 21 March 2014 HMS Macclesfield 1804 wrecksite eu Retrieved March 17 2022 Colledge J J Warlow Ben 2006 1969 Ships of the Royal Navy The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy Rev ed London Chatham Publishing ISBN 978 1 86176 281 8 Winfield Rif 2008 British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793 1817 Design Construction Careers and Fates 2nd ed Seaforth Publishing ISBN 978 1 86176 246 7 Hackman Rowan 2001 Ships of the East India Company Gravesend Kent World Ship Society ISBN 0 905617 96 7 Bulley Anne 2000 The Bombay Country Ships 1790 1833 Routledge ISBN 978 0700712366 Phipps John 1840 A Collection of Papers Relative to Ship Building in India Also a Register Comprehending All the Ships Built in India to the Present Time Scott Bassett Smith P W 1890 Report on the corals from the Tizard and Macclesfield Banks China Sea Annals and Magazine of Natural History 6 353 374 485 500 doi 10 1080 00222939008694050 Vietnam Law on Contested Islands Draws China s Ire The New York Times June 21 2012 Archived from the original on June 23 2012 Retrieved June 28 2012 Taiwan renews sovereignty claim over South China Sea islands Focus Taiwan May 5 2012 Archived from the original on May 7 2012 Retrieved June 28 2012 Limits in the Seas No 127 Taiwan s Maritime Claims PDF United States Department of State November 15 2005 Archived PDF from the original on January 1 2020 Retrieved July 1 2012 Zaide Jose July 10 2012 Saan Siya Manila Bulletin Archived from the original on January 13 2013 Retrieved 31 October 2012 Allocation of South China Sea features southchinasea org Archived from the original on 2015 12 17 Retrieved 2016 01 16 Poling Gregory 2012 07 05 Time to End Strategic Ambiguity in the South China Sea Center for Strategic and International Studies Archived from the original on 2016 03 04 Retrieved 2012 07 21 Seoung Yong Hong Jon M Van Dyke 2009 Maritime Boundary Disputes Settlement Processes and the Law of the Sea Publications on Ocean Development Brill p 149 Chi kin Lo 1989 China s Policy Towards Territorial Disputes The Case of the South China Sea Islands Routledge p 25 Clive Ralph Symmons 1995 Some Problems Relating to the Definition of insular Formations in International Law Islands and Low tide Elevations International Boundaries Research Unit p 12 ISBN 9781897643105 UN approves PH territorial claim to Benham Rise 28 April 2012 Archived from the original on April 30 2012 Retrieved April 28 2012 UN to decide on Phl claim on 13 M hectare Benham Rise Archived 2016 08 16 at the Wayback Machine August 16 2011 Philippine Star UN approves PH territorial claim to Benham Rise Archived 2016 04 22 at the Wayback Machine April 28 2012 Philippine Daily Inquirer DOE to assess resource potential of Benham Rise The Philippine Star June 9 2014 Archived from the original on August 17 2016 Retrieved June 9 2016 See also editSansha Scarborough Shoal South China SeaExternal links editNautical Information ROC s home page Taiwanese List Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Macclesfield Bank amp oldid 1191266356, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
