The ''Alexander Grantham'' was a fireboat of

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

Fire Services Department A fire department (American English) or fire brigade (Commonwealth English), also known as a fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention and fire suppression se ...

. The

fireboat A fireboat or fire-float is a specialized watercraft with pumps and nozzles designed for fighting shoreline and shipboard fires. The first fireboats, dating to the late 18th century, were tugboats, retrofitted with firefighting equipmen ...

was named after former Governor Sir Alexander Grantham. The boat has since retired from service and been replaced by other vessels. On 10 March 2006, the fireboat was successfully hoisted into its new permanent home in the Central Concourse of

Quarry Bay Park Quarry Bay Park () is an urban park located in the Quarry Bay area of Hong Kong Island's Eastern District. It lies between the waterfront and the Tai Koo Shing housing estate, and covers around . The park is managed by the Leisure and Cultura ...

, Hong Kong, where it has been converted into the Fireboat ''Alexander Grantham'' Exhibition Gallery and was opened to the public as a museum in 2007, managed by LCSD. In addition to the fireboat itself, the gallery houses a number of multimedia exhibits on the vessel's history and on firefighting in Hong Kong.

3D Laser Scanning Lidar (, also LIDAR, or LiDAR; sometimes LADAR) is a method for determining ranges (variable distance) by targeting an object or a surface with a laser and measuring the time for the reflected light to return to the receiver. It can also be ...

Technology in digital recording of structures was applied to capture the 3D images of the structure.How surveyors use 3D Laser Scanning Technology in digital recording of structures
, The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors (issued on 17 January 2007)

Public display

The lifting of the 500-tonne historic boat onto land is the first project of its kind ever conducted in Asia. ''Alexander Grantham'' is also the first boat preserved as a historic relic in Hong Kong, and the

Hong Kong Museum of History The Hong Kong Museum of History is a museum that preserves Hong Kong's historical and cultural heritage. It is located next to the Hong Kong Science Museum, in Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon, Hong Kong. The collections of the museum encompass ...

's largest 'Made in Hong Kong' collection item. The landing of the ''Alexander Grantham'' marks the end of 50 years of service in

Victoria Harbour Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbour in Hong Kong separating Hong Kong Island in the south from the Kowloon Peninsula to the north. The harbour's deep, sheltered waters and strategic location on South China Sea were instrumental i ...

, though the vessel remains on the waterfront in its new role. Construction of the exhibition gallery was performed with assistance from the

Architectural Services Department The Architectural Services Department is a department of the Government of Hong Kong responsible for the design and construction of many public facilities throughout the territory. It is subordinate to the Works Branch of the Development Bu ...

and the

Leisure and Cultural Services Department The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), is a department in the Government of Hong Kong. It reports to the Culture, Sports & Tourism Bureau, headed by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism. It provides leisure and cultural ...

of Hong Kong.

A showcase of HK's sea salvage history

''Alexander Grantham'', the largest in the fleet of fireboats, was built by the Hong Kong Whampoa Dock Company Limited in 1953 and decommissioned in May 2002, after 49 years of service. Measuring 38.9 metres long, 8.8 metres wide, 15 metres tall and with a loaded displacement of 511 tonnes, it has taken part in numerous fire-fighting and rescue operations, including the '' Seawise University'' fire in 1972, the ''Eastern Gate'' fire in the 1980s and the ''New Orient Princess'' fire in 1993. ''Alexander Grantham'' is also a great example of the Hong Kong shipbuilding industry's achievements in the early 1950s. It showcases Hong Kong's sea salvage history of the past century and provides a glimpse of the territory's social development.

Transport

The fireboat is accessible within walking distance northeast from

Tai Koo station Tai Koo () is a List of MTR stations, station on the of the Hong Kong MTR system. The station is located in Kornhill, Quarry Bay on Hong Kong Island and serves the area including Kornhill, Kornhill Gardens and Taikoo Shing. Tai Koo has a unique ...

of the MTR.

References

External links

{{Commons category, Sir Alexander Grantham (ship, 1953)
Official website
Fireboats Ships of Hong Kong Museums in Hong Kong Monuments and memorials in Hong Kong Quarry Bay Eastern District, Hong Kong Maritime museums in Hong Kong Museum ships in China 1953 ships