The ''Alexander Grantham'' was a

fireboat A fireboat or Fire-float Pyronaut, fire-float is a specialized watercraft with pumps and nozzles designed for fighting shoreline and shipboard fires. The first fireboats, dating to the late 18th century, were tugboats, retrofitted with ...

operated by the

Fire Services Department A fire department (North American English) or fire brigade (Commonwealth English), also known as a fire company, fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention and ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

. It was named after

Governor of Hong Kong The governor of Hong Kong was the representative of the United Kingdom, British The Crown, Crown in British Hong Kong, Hong Kong from 1843 to 1997. In this capacity, the governor was president of the Executive Council of Hong Kong, Executiv ...

, Sir Alexander Grantham. The boat has since retired from service and been replaced by other vessels.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 () is an urban park located in the Quarry Bay area of Hong Kong Island's Eastern District, Hong Kong, Eastern District. It lies between the waterfront and the Taikoo Shing, Tai Koo Shing housing estate, and covers around . The ...

, where it has been converted into the Fireboat ''Alexander Grantham'' Exhibition Gallery and was opened to the public as a museum in 2007, managed by

Leisure and Cultural Services Department The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), is a department in the Government of Hong Kong. It reports to the Culture, Sports & Tourism Bureau, headed by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism. It provides leisure and cultural ...

. 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 Lidar (, also LIDAR, an acronym of "light detection and ranging" or "laser imaging, detection, and ranging") is a method for determining ranging, ranges by targeting an object or a surface with a laser and measuring the time for the reflected li ...

technology in digital recording of structures was applied to capture the 3D images of the structure.How surveyors use 3D Laser Scanning Technology in digital recording of structures
, The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors (issued on 17 January 2007)

Public display

The lifting of the 500-tonne historic boat onto land is the first project of its kind ever conducted in Asia. ''Alexander Grantham'' is also the first boat preserved as a historic relic in Hong Kong, and is the

Hong Kong Museum of History The Hong Kong Museum of History is a public museum that preserves Hong Kong's historical and cultural heritage. It is located next to the Hong Kong Science Museum, in Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon, Hong Kong. The collections of the museum enc ...

's largest "Made in Hong Kong" collection item. The landing of the ''Alexander Grantham'' marks the end of 50 years of her service in

Victoria Harbour Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbor, harbour in Hong Kong separating Hong Kong Island in the south from the Kowloon Peninsula to the north. It acts as both a major trading hub and tourist attraction of Hong Kong in general. Lying in ...

, 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 The Architectural Services Department is a department of the Government of Hong Kong responsible for the design and construction of many public facilities throughout the territory. It is subordinate to the Works Branch of the Development B ...

and the

Showcase of Hong Kong's sea salvage history

''Alexander Grantham'', the largest in the fleet of fireboats, was built by the Hong Kong Whampoa Dock Company Limited in 1953 and decommissioned in May 2002, after 49 years of service. Measuring 38.9 metres long, 8.8 metres wide, 15 metres tall and with a loaded displacement of 511 tonnes, ''Alexander Grantham'' is also a great example of the Hong Kong 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.

Transport

The fireboat is accessible within walking distance northeast from

Tai Koo station Tai Koo () is a station on the of the Hong Kong MTR system. The station is located in Kornhill, Quarry Bay on Hong Kong Island and serves the area including Kornhill, Kornhill Gardens and Taikoo Shing. Tai Koo has a unique crimson livery. T ...

of the

MTR The Mass Transit Railway system, known locally by the initialism MTR, is a rapid transit system in Hong Kong and the territory's principal mode of Rail transport in Hong Kong, railway transportation. Operated by the MTR Corporation (MTRCL), ...

References

External links

{{Commons category, Sir Alexander Grantham (ship, 1953)
Official website
Fireboats Ships of Hong Kong Museums in Hong Kong Monuments and memorials in Hong Kong Quarry Bay Eastern District, Hong Kong Maritime museums in Hong Kong Museum ships in China 1953 ships