South China Morning Post
Excerpt
Harbour wreckage very likely Hong Kong’s most famous military ship, HMS Tamar, report finds
A marine archaeologist will be commissioned to confirm identity of scuttled vessel and determine its heritage value
March 2, 2017
on.cc
Wreckage found during harbour dredging in Wan Chai in 2014 is very likely the remains of HMS Tamar, Hong Kong’s most famous military ship, which was scuttled by the British navy in 1941 to prevent her from falling into Japanese hands, according to a belated government-commissioned preliminary study.
However, without the ship’s bell, name plate or other unique identifier, the identity of the vessel, 40 metres long, 11 metres wide and two metres high, cannot be confirmed pending further investigations, the report said.
The preliminary assessment of the metal object, commissioned by the Civil Engineering and Development Department in March 2015, was finally published on Tuesday, 18 months after its completion in September 2015.
The department said it would shortly commission a marine archaeologist to conduct a detailed investigation to ascertain the wreckage’s identity and heritage value.
The wreckage, described in the report as “clearly the remains of large sunken ship”, was discovered by a government contractor in late 2014 about 6.5 metres under the seabed during dredging works near the old Wan Chai Ferry Pier.
It was moved 100 metres from its original location to allow waterfront reclamation and development to continue for the Central-Wan Chai Bypass.
The report by SDA Marine, an international specialist consultancy, showed 777 artefacts were found as of April 30, 2015, of which 238 were scrap iron ballast known as “kentledge” and the other 539 pieces were “special finds”, including copper alloy items, iron objects, ceramic tiles and pottery vessels.
One of the most significant discoveries was a copper alloy replica of a Royal Navy commodore’s pennant (flag), it said.
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