Preservation of presumed HMS Tamar shipwreck could take years, historian says

It could take years for the shipwreck discovered in Victoria Harbour to be conserved, salvaged and exhibited, according to the marine historian who is certain it’s the remains of HMS Tamar – the famous vessel scuttled by the British Navy during the Battle of Hong Kong in the second world war.

While the government has remained evasive on the identity of the wreckage for months since it announced the discovery on March 27. It issued a statement on Thursday night announcing the hulk “could be” HMS Tamar and saying further efforts were underway to make sure. The wreckage was found near the old Wan Chai Pier late last year.

The Civil Engineering and Development Department also said it would move the wreckage to a nearby area by the end of next month to make way for reclamation work and would protect it from exposure to air, which might accelerate oxidation and corrosion.

Dr. Stephen Davies, a former director of the Hong Kong Maritime Museum and now a scholar at the University of Hong Kong, was part of an initial research team tasked to identify the wreckage. He said it was right to move the wreckage aside for now as a protective measure and suggested it should be salvaged for public exhibition in Tamar Park because of its historical significance.

“It can be turned into a nice sculpture and placed in Tamar Park … Kids can even climb on it,” he said.

But he cautioned that it would require delicate work.