Sir Alexander Grantham
Encyclopedia
Fire Services Department (Hong Kong)
Hong Kong Fire Services Department of the Hong Kong Government is an emergency service responsible for fire-fighting and rescue on land and sea...
. The fireboat
Fireboat
A fireboat is a specialized watercraft and with pumps and nozzles designed for fighting shoreline and shipboard fires. The first fireboats, dating to the late 18th century, were tugboats, retrofitted with firefighting equipment....
was named after former British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
colonial Governor Sir Alexander Grantham
Alexander Grantham
Sir Alexander William George Herder Grantham, GCMG was a British colonial administrator who governed Hong Kong and Fiji.-Early life, colonial administration career:...
. The boat has since retired from service and been replaced by other vessels.
On 10 March 2006, the fireboat was successfully hoisted into its new permanent home in the Central Concourse of Quarry Bay Park
Quarry Bay Park
Quarry Bay Park in Quarry Bay is a small urban park in the Eastern District of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. The park is managed by Leisure and Cultural Services Department, a department of Hong Kong Government.-History:...
, Hong Kong, where it has been converted into the Fireboat Alexander Grantham Exhibition Gallery and was opened to the public as a museum in 2007. In addition to the fireboat itself, the Gallery houses a number of multimedia exhibits on the vessel's history and on firefighting in Hong Kong.
3D Laser Scanning
3D scanner
A 3D scanner is a device that analyzes a real-world object or environment to collect data on its shape and possibly its appearance . The collected data can then be used to construct digital, three dimensional models....
Technology in digital recording of structures was applied to capture the 3D images of the structure.
Public Display
Leisure & Cultural Services Assistant Director for Heritage & Museums of Hong Kong, Mr. Gerard Tsang, said lifting a 500-tonne historic boat onto land is the first project of its kind ever conducted in Asia. Fireboat Alexander Grantham is also the first boat preserved as a historic relic in Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong Museum of HistoryHong Kong Museum of History
The Hong Kong Museum of History is a museum which preserves Hong Kong's historical and cultural heritage. It is located next to the Hong Kong Science Museum....
's largest 'Made in Hong Kong' collection item, he said.
The landing of the Alexander Grantham marks the end of 50 years of service in Victoria Harbour
Victoria Harbour
Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbour situated between Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong. The harbour's deep, sheltered waters and strategic location on the South China Sea were instrumental in Hong Kong's establishment as a British colony and its subsequent...
, though the vessel remains on the waterfront in its new role. Construction of the exhibition gallery was performed with assistance from the Architectural Services Department and the Leisure & Cultural Services Department of Hong Kong.
A showcase of HK's sea salvage history
Measuring 38.9 metres long, 8.8 metres wide, 15 metres tall and with a loaded displacement of 511 tonnes, it has taken part in numerous fire-fighting and rescue operations, including the Seawise University fire in 1972, the Eastern Gate fire in the 1980s and the New Orient Princess fire in 1993.
Alexander Grantham is also a great example of the local shipbuilding industry's achievements in the early 1950s. It showcases Hong Kong's sea salvage history of the past century and provides a glimpse of the territory's social development.