HMS ''Tamar'' () was the name for the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

's base in Hong Kong from 1897 to 1997. It took its name from HMS ''Tamar'', a ship that was used as the base until replaced by buildings ashore.

History

19th century

The British Navy arrived during the First Opium War to protect the opium traders. Sir

Edward Belcher Admiral Sir Edward Belcher (27 February 1799 – 18 March 1877) was a British naval officer, hydrographer, and explorer. Born in Nova Scotia, he was the great-grandson of Jonathan Belcher, who served as a colonial governor of Massachusett ...

, aboard HMS ''Sulphur'' landed in Hong Kong on 25 January 1841.

Possession Street Possession Street () is a street in Sheung Wan, from Queen's Road West to Hollywood Road, on the Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. The street marks the boundary of Queen's Road West and Queen's Road Central. Name The original Chinese name was ...

still exists to mark the event, although its Chinese name is 水坑口街 ("Mouth of the ditch Street"). HK dockyard 1894

Commodore Sir Gordon Bremer raised the

Union Jack The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...

and claimed Hong Kong as a colony on 26 January 1841. Naval store sheds were erected there in April 1841.Eric Cavaliero
Harbour bed holds memories
, The Standard, 13 November 1997, quoting P J Melson: ''White Ensign – Red Dragon: the History of the Royal Navy in Hong Kong 1841 to 1997'' The site had been referred to as the "HM Victualling Yard" in the Navy's own register.HMS TAMAR and the China Fleet Club
The Gun Plot The first naval storekeeper and agent victualler, Thomas McKnight, appointed on 21 March 1842, served until October 1849. Early maps show that major construction was also carried out at another, slightly more westward site, between 1845 and 1855. In fact, the naval authorities demolished the

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

store sheds and surrendered the land to the colonial government in 1854 in exchange for a plot of land where the Admiralty station of the

Mass Transit Railway The Mass Transit Railway (MTR) is a major public transport network serving :Hong Kong. Operated by the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL), it consists of heavy rail, light rail, and feeder bus service centred on a 10-line rapid transit network ...

stands. The Second Opium War in China (1856–1860) caused a military build-up, in which the yard expanded westwards in April 1858. A victualling yard was added at what was then the North Barracks. Two officers were initially appointed as responsible for the machinery and spare parts, respectively, needed to maintain and repair ships in the dockyard, and for dry goods and foodstuff in the victualling yard.Eric Cavaliero
Harbour bed holds memories
, The Standard, 13 November 1997 HMS ''Tamar'', was a 3,650 ton British

troopship A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable land troops directly on shore, typicall ...

laid down in 1862 and launched in 1863. She first visited Hong Kong in 1878 with reliefs crews, returned once in 1886. She finally arrived in Victoria City on 11 April 1897.Base closure to end Royal Navy's Far East presence
,

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

, 4 November 1997 She was stationed permanently in the harbour from 1897 to 1941, when she was scuttled during the Battle of Hong Kong during World War II, to avoid being used by the invading Japanese Imperial forces.

20th century

HK Central 金鐘 Admiralty July 2018 IX2 08

At the turn of the 20th century, land adjacent to the site was needed for expansion. Unable to obtain it, as the site was surrounded by army barracks, the Navy began work on the construction of a floating basin (sheltered bay) and the reclamation of the east arm of the dockyard, in 1902. This project, involving 160,000 square metres of land reclamation, a 36,000 square metre floating basin to repair and refit vessels afloat, and also a 183-metre graving dock, was completed by 1908. At the end of World War II, the Royal Navy re-established their naval base at

Wellington Barracks Wellington Barracks is a military barracks in Westminster, central London, for the Foot Guards battalions on public duties in that area. The building is located about three hundred yards from Buckingham Palace, allowing the guard to be able to ...

, vacated by the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

. On 28 November 1957, the Navy announced that the dockyard would be closed down over a 2-year period. However, in 1959, the Navy, which had retained some land on the waterfront, began planning a compact naval base on the site. From 1959 to 1962, the Wellington Barracks were upgraded to better serve the colony and reflect the changing times for the Royal Navy in the Pacific region. Old naval buildings were demolished, and the rubble used as landfill for the reclamation of the dry dock in October 1959. The Royal Navy decided to demolish the Wellington Barracks and build a modern naval facility in Hong Kong. The

Prince of Wales Building A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

was completed in 1978 and became the headquarters of the new naval base, HMS ''Tamar''. Shortly before the departure of British forces in 1997, the ''Tamar'' basin was reclaimed, and the People's Liberation Army of the People's Republic of China occupied the Prince of Wales Building (now Chinese People's Liberation Army Forces Hong Kong Building, or collectively with other buildings and the area enclosed by walls, the Central Barracks). HM Naval Base was relocated to the northern side of

Stonecutter's Island Stonecutters Island or Ngong Shuen Chau is a former island in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong. Following land reclamation, it is now attached to the Kowloon Peninsula. Fauna The island once boasted at least three mating pairs of sulphur-crested co ...

, off Kowloon, prior to the handover in 1997. On 11 April 1997, just under over hundred years of HMS Tamar's definitive arrival for service as a base depot ship (the Tamar had arrived in Hong Kong for conversion on 30 September 1895) and just under a century after her commissioning on 1 October 1897, the British naval shore establishment in Hong Kong was de-commissioned. The last HMS ''Tamar'' on Stonecutters Island is now a government marine facility, now known as the

Government Dockyard Government Dockyard () is a dockyard of Hong Kong Government responsible for the design, procurement and maintenance of all vessels owned by the Government. The dockyard occupies a site of 98 hectares on the northeast coast of Stonecutters Islan ...

. The vacated site in Central, Hong Kong Central, now known as the Tamar site, became a valuable piece of real estate and after much debate as to how to best use the site has now become the location of the new Hong Kong Government's Central Government Complex.

Administration

Commodore-in-Charge, Hong Kong

Post holders included: * Commodore Oliver J. Jones: March 1866-December 1869 * Commodore John A.P. Price: December 1869-September 1870 * Commodore Francis H. Shortt: September 1870-August 1873 * Commodore John E. Parish: August 1873-March 1876 * Commodore George W. Watson: March 1876-March 1879 * Commodore Thomas E. Smith: March 1879-May 1881 * Commodore William H. Cuming: May 1881-February 1884 * Commodore

George Digby Morant Admiral Sir George Digby Morant (8 August 1837 – 13 February 1921) was an Anglo-Irish admiral in the British Royal Navy. Early life and family Morant was born in Ireland 8 August 1837. There is a record of his baptism in the Parish of Farnb ...

: February 1884-February 1887 * Commodore William H. Maxwell: February 1887-December 1888 * Commodore Edmund J. Church: December 1888-December 1891 * Commodore Henry St.L. Bury Palliser: December 1891-June 1893 * Commodore George T.H. Boyes: June 1893-July 1896 * Commodore Swinton C. Holland: July 1896-March 1899 * Commodore Francis Powell: March 1899-March 1902 * Commodore Charles G. Robinson: March 1902-February 1904 * Commodore Charles Gauntlett Dicken: February 1904-September 1905 * Commodore Hugh P. Williams: September 1905-April 1907 * Commodore Robert H.S. Stokes: April 1907-October 1908 * Commodore Herbert Lyon: October 1908-July 1910 * Commodore Cresswell J. Eyres: July 1910-July 1912 * Rear-Admiral Robert H. Anstruther: July 1912-May 1916 (as Rear-Admiral-in-Charge, Hong Kong) * Commodore Henry G.G. Sandeman: May 1916-May 1918 * Commodore Victor G. Gurner: May 1918-June 1920 * Commodore William Bowden-Smith: June 1920-June 1922 * Commodore Henry E. Grace: June 1922-October 1924 * Commodore Anselan J.B.Stirling: October 1924-November 1926 * Commodore John L. Pearson: November 1926-October 1928 * Commodore Richard A. S. Hill: October 1928-November 1930 * Commodore Arthur H. Walker: November 1930-August 1932 * Commodore Edward McC. W. Lawrie: August 1932-June 1933 * Commodore Frank Elliott: July 1933-April 1935 * Commodore Cyril G.Sedgwick: April 1935-April 1937 * Commodore Edward B.C.Dicken: April 1937-April 1939 * Commodore Arthur M. Peters: April 1939-November 1940 (as Commodore-in-Charge, Naval Establishments, Hong Kong) * Commodore Alfred C. Collinson: November 1940-December 1941 * Commodore Douglas H. Everett: August 1945-June 1947 * Commodore Charles L. Robertson: June 1947-June 1949 * Commodore Leslie N. Brownfield: June 1949-July 1951 * Commodore Harold G. Dickinson: July 1951-July 1953 * Commodore Anthony H. Thorold: July 1953-June 1955 * Commodore John H. Unwin: June 1955-March 1957 * Commodore G. David A. Gregory: March 1957-April 1960 * Commodore Adrian R.L. Butler: April 1960-October 1962 * Commodore George O.Symonds: November 1962-February 1965 * Commodore Frank D. Holford: February 1965-January 1967 * Commodore Thomas H.P. Wilson: January 1967-October 1968 * Commodore Philip R.C. Higham: October 1968-July 1970 * Commodore Roger E.S. Wykes-Sneyd: July 1970-August 1972 * Commodore John K. Stevens: August 1972-August 1973 * Commodore John A.G. Evans: August 1973-October 1975

Captain-in-Charge, Hong Kong

Post holders included: * Captain Richard L. Garnons-Williams: October 1975-March 1978 * Captain Robert W. Moland: March 1978-June 1980 * Captain Andrew A. Waugh: June 1980-June 1982 * Captain Frederick A. Collins: June 1982-March 1985 * Captain Christopher W. Gotto: March 1985-July 1987 * Captain Peter Dalrymple-Smith: July 1987-January 1990 * Captain Michael C. Gordon Lennox: January 1990 – 1992 * Captain Thomas L.M. Sunter: 1992-1994 * Captain Peter J. Melson: 1994-1995 * Captain Andrew K. Steele: 1995-1996

Squadrons in Hong Kong

The following is a list of naval squadrons and fleets that called ''Tamar'' home: *

China Squadron The Commander-in-Chief, China was the admiral in command of what was usually known as the China Station, at once both a British Royal Navy naval formation and its admiral in command. It was created in 1865 and deactivated in 1941. From 1831 to 18 ...

1844–1941, 1945–1992 * Far East Fleet/HK Sqdn 1969–1971 * Dragon Squadron 1971–1992 * 3 Raiding Royal Marines * Hong Kong Royal Naval Volunteer Reserves 1967–1996; merged with Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) 1971 * LEP 1905–1996 * Dragon Squadron * 120th Minesweeping Squadron 1958–1966; transferred to

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

* 6th Mine Countermeasure Squadron 1969–1997 * 6th Patrol Craft Squadron 1970–1997 * Operations and Training Base 1934–1997 *

3 Commando Brigade 3 Commando Brigade (3 Cdo Bde), previously called the 3rd Special Service Brigade, is a commando formation of the British Armed Forces. It is composed of the Royal Marine Commandos, alongside commando qualified sailors, soldiers and airmen from ...

Royal Marines * 47 Royal Marines *

British Pacific Fleet The British Pacific Fleet (BPF) was a Royal Navy formation that saw action against Japan during the Second World War. The fleet was composed of empire naval vessels. The BPF formally came into being on 22 November 1944 from the remaining ships o ...

1840s–1948; to Singapore as

Far East Station The Far East Fleet (also called the Far East Station) was a Naval fleet, fleet of the Royal Navy which existed between 1952 and 1971. During the Second World War, the Eastern Fleet included many ships and personnel from other navies, including t ...

* HK Flotilla 1840s–1941, 1948–1992 * China Station —

4th Submarine Flotilla Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

, Yangtse Flotilla, West River Flotilla,

8th Destroyer Flotilla The 8th Destroyer Flotilla, also styled as the Eighth Destroyer Flotilla, was a military formation of the British Royal Navy from 1911 to 1939. History The flotilla was established in August 1911. In 1912 was assigned to the Admiral of Patrols ...

* 5th Cruiser Squadron * 1st Escort Flotilla * 4th Frigate Flotilla ?–1952 * Frigate Squadron 1952–1976 * Light Cruiser Squadron * 415 Maritime Troop * Naval Party 1009 (Hovercraft Unit)

Naval facilities

A list of facilities used or built by the Royal Navy in Hong Kong: *

1978–1997; now Central Barracks of the PLA * Lamont and Hope Drydocks * Aberdeen Docks — destroyed * Dry Dock 1902–1959 *

Taikoo Dockyard Taikoo Dockyard and Engineering Company () was a dockyard in what is now Taikoo Shing, MTR Tai Koo station and part of Taikoo Place of Quarry Bay on the Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. History The idea that John Swire and Sons should have their ...

— Hong Kong United Dockyards * Royal Navy Dockyards 1902–1959 * Sai Wan Barracks 1844–1846 *

1946–1978, as HMS ''Tamar'' (demolished) * North Barracks 1850s–1856, 1887–1959; from the Army and to HK Government 1959 * Victoria Barracks * Redoubt and Lei Yue Mun Fortifications 1885–1887 * Lei Yue Mun Fort 1887–1987 * Reverse, Central, West and Pass Batteries 1880s * Brennan Torpedo station 1890 — Lei Yue Mun * Royal Naval Hospital, Wan Chai; now Ruttonjee Sanatorium * Seaman's Hospital 1843–1873; replaced by Royal Naval Hospital * RMS ''Queen Mary'' 1945–1946, as a hospital * War Memorial Hospital (Matilda) 1946–1959 * British Military Hospital 1959–1995 * Island Group Practice 1995–1997, replaced British Military Hospital * HMS ''Charlotte'' and HMS ''Victor Emmanuel'' — Receiving Ships * Tidal Basin 1902–1959 * Boat Basin 1902–1959 * HM Victualling Yards 1859–1946 A list of facilities used or built by the Royal Navy in Hong Kong: * Guard Room * Chichester Block * Aberdeen Docks * Royal Naval Hospital, Wan Chai; now Ruttonjee Sanatorium *

Seaman's Hospital Seamen's Hospital was originally opened by Dr Peter Young, a surgeon of the Honourable East India Company in 1843 during the First Opium War. History The hospital was financially supported by Jardine Matheson and Company in Wan Chai, Coloni ...

1843–1873 * HMS ''Tamar'' — Receiving ship 1897–1941 * HMS ''Minden'' 1841–mid-1840s — hospital ship * HMS ''Alligator'' 1840s–1865 — hospital ship * HMS ''Melville'' 1860s–1873 — hospital ship (East Indies Sqdn)

Ships

* Duty Boats – including Victoria * RN Ferry (T-boats such as:Ah Moy) Numbers as T1. T2 etc. To ferry service personnels across Victoria Harbour, with Three stops, HMS Tamar (Admirialty), Stoncutter Island (British Military Base), Kowloon Public Pier.