As the Harbour Master’s Office was responsible for maintaining order afloat in Hong Kong, it was believed that the Harbour Master’s Office managed a few launches for its operation. However, there is no extant documentary record on the total number of colonial launches, nor the crew complements, managed by the Harbour Master’s Office from 1841 to 1868. Starting from 1868, records of the launches managed by the Harbour Master’s Office appeared in the Blue Book - the government publication that recorded the colonial government’s staff lists. The first colonial launch recorded in the Blue Book of 1868 was a colonial gun-boat managed by the Harbour Master’s Office. The crew included an officer-in-charge, a seaman, a steward, a servant, and four Chinese sailors.[5]
In 1869, Blanche, the first colonial steam-launch managed by the Harbour Master’s Office, was recorded in the Blue Book. It was a gunboat specifically designed for anti-piracy purposes, and was built by the Union Dock Company of Hong Kong and Whampoa Limited. The crew of Blanche included an engineer, an assistant engineer, and a fireman. Blanche served the Harbour Master’s Office for four years and was later transferred to the Health Office in 1873. The Harbour Master’s Office immediately requested the colonial government to build a new steam-launch to replace Blanche. In 1874, a new colonial steam-launch, Victoria, was built and handed over to the Harbour Master’s Office to facilitate its operations.[6]
Due to the rapid development of trade in Hong Kong and the lease of the New Territories in 1898, the Harbour Master’s Office recommended that the colonial government purchase more colonial launches to cope with the increasing demands on its services. From 1898 to the early 1920s, the total number of colonial launches managed by the Harbour Master’s Office (1841-1904) / Harbour Master’s Department (1904-1929) increased from three in 1898 to nine in 1923. Among these launches, Stanley was crucial to the development of the Harbour Master’s Office (1841-1904) / Harbour Master’s Department (1904-1929). Stanley was the first colonial steam-tender (a supply boat of its kind) managed by the Harbour Master’s Office. It was built for servicing the New Territories in 1900. The crew of Stanley included a master, a boatswain, a quartermaster, three sailors, an engineer, an oiler, two firemen, a cook, and a boy.[7] Stanley served the Harbour Master’s Office (1841-1904) / Harbour Master’s Department (1904-1929) until 1930.
Notes:
Part 2 Chatper 3.2 - The colonial launches managed by the Harbour Master’s Office (1841-1904) / The Harbour Master’s Department (1904-1929) from 1841 to the early 1920s
