Command of the sea Great Britain accepted the principle in 1805; Russia, in 1824; and the United States (tacitly) in 1894. Many treaties, including the Treaty of Versailles, have dealt with the open seas, and currently the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea formalizes this freedom. Historically, many powers attempted to extend command of the sea into peacetime, imposing taxes or other restrictions on shipping using areas of open sea. For example, Venice claimed the Adriatic, and exacted a heavy toll from vessels navigating its northern waters. Genoa and France each claimed portions of the western Mediterranean. Denmark and Sweden claimed
Gulf of Batabanó to the Isle of Youth. The gulf is shallow–less than 200 feet (61 m) deep–and contains about 350 smaller islands of the Canarreos Archipelago ("los Archipiélago de los Canarreos") besides the Isle of Youth. The gulf is a center of sponge fishing. Gulf of Batabanó The Gulf of Batabanó (; ), also called the Batabanó Gulf, is an inlet or strait off southwestern Cuba in the Caribbean Sea, separating mainland Cuba from the Isle of Youth. It is located at . The gulf's northern border begins at the southern coast of Cuba in Pinar del Río Province, Artemisa Province, Mayabeque