SS Hong Moh was a passenger steamship owned by the Hong Kong Steamship Company which was wrecked on 3 March 1921 with the loss of about 1,000 lives.

The Hong Moh was registered in Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

 and had a tonnage of 3,954 tons. She was en route from Singapore to Amoy (Xiamen

Xiamen

Xiamen , also known as Amoy , is a major city on the southeast coast of the People's Republic of China. It is administered as a sub-provincial city of Fujian province with an area of and population of 3.53 million...

), China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

, when she struck the White Rocks on Lamock Island, near Swatow (Shantou

Shantou

Shantou , historically known as Swatow or Suátao, is a prefecture-level city on the eastern coast of Guangdong province, People's Republic of China, with a total population of 5,391,028 as of 2010 and an administrative area of...

) on the southern coast of China. She was carrying about 1,100 passengers, most of them Chinese. She broke in two and most of the passengers and crew were lost before help arrived.

The Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 light cruiser

Light cruiser

A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...

 HMS Carlisle

HMS Carlisle (D67)

HMS Carlisle was a C-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy, named after the English City of Carlisle. She was the name ship of the Carlisle group of the C-class of cruisers...

 was anchored at Bako (Makung

Makung

Makung is the county seat of Penghu, in Taiwan Province, Taiwan . Makung is on the western part of the main Penghu Island....

) in the Pescadores

Pescadores

The Penghu Islands, also known as Pescadores are an archipelago off the western coast of Taiwan in the Taiwan Strait consisting of 90 small islands and islets covering an area of 141 square kilometers....

 and immediately ordered to give assistance. She arrived on 6 March, by which time there were only about 350 survivors clinging to the wreck. The Carlisle was unable to get within a mile of the wreck due to the heavy seas, but a motorboat

Motorboat

A motorboat is a boat which is powered by an engine. Some motorboats are fitted with inboard engines, others have an outboard motor installed on the rear, containing the internal combustion engine, the gearbox and the propeller in one portable unit.An inboard/outboard contains a hybrid of a...

 under Lieutenant-Commander Ion Tower

Ion Tower

Ion Beauchamp Butler Tower, DSC was a British naval officer who fought in World War I and was killed in an air raid in London. He was awarded the Sea Gallantry Medal for his part in the rescue of survivors of the sinking of the Hong Moh in March 1921. He also received the Russian Order of St...

 DSC and a cutter under Gunner John G. Dewar DSC worked continuously to save as many as they could. The Carlisles captain

Captain (Royal Navy)

Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the...

, Captain Edward Evans CB DSO

Edward Evans, 1st Baron Mountevans

Admiral Edward Ratcliffe Garth Russell Evans, 1st Baron Mountevans, KCB, DSO , known as "Teddy" Evans, was a British naval officer and Antarctic explorer...

, himself swam to the wreck to assist the survivors into the boats. Altogether, the Carlisle saved 221 people, taking them to Swatow. HMS Foxglove also took off 28 survivors and SS Shansi (Captain Reginald Turnbull) took off 45. Captain H. W. Holmes of the Hong Moh was among those lost.

In October 1929 the Board of Trade Silver Medal for Gallantry in Saving Life at Sea

Sea Gallantry Medal

The Sea Gallantry Medal , is an award for civil gallantry at sea in Great Britain and the Commonwealth. The Merchant Shipping Act 1854 permitted the issue of this award and SGMs were first struck in 1855...

was awarded to Evans, Tower and Dewar, and the Bronze Medal to Leading Seaman W. G. Eldrett and Able Seaman A. E. Whitehead.