Mirs Bay (also known as Tai Pang Wan, Dapeng Wan, Dapeng Bay or Mers Bay; ) is a

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

in the northeast of Kat O and Sai Kung Peninsula of Hong Kong. The north and east shores are surrounded by

Yantian Yantian District () is one of the nine districts of the city of Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. It is adjacent to Shenzhen River and Hong Kong to the south, and is surrounded by Luohu, Longgang District, Shenzhen, Longgang and Pingshan District, Shen ...

and Dapeng New District of

Shenzhen Shenzhen is a prefecture-level city in the province of Guangdong, China. A Special economic zones of China, special economic zone, it is located on the east bank of the Pearl River (China), Pearl River estuary on the central coast of Guangdong ...

. Ping Chau stands in the midst of the bay.

History

Mirs Bay, along with other waterways near Hong Kong, was once was home to various

coastal defences Coastal management is defence against flooding and erosion, and techniques that stop erosion to claim lands. Protection against rising sea levels in the 21st century is crucial, as sea level rise accelerates due to climate change. Changes in s ...

(e.g. Dapeng Fortress) used against pirates during the

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

. Mirs Bay was used by then American Commodore (later

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

) George Washington Dewey during the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

as a refuge and repair facility for the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

. In 1949, the colonial government imposed a curfew under the Public Order Ordinance forbidding movement of

watercraft A watercraft or waterborne vessel is any vehicle designed for travel across or through water bodies, such as a boat, ship, hovercraft, submersible or submarine. Types Historically, watercraft have been divided into two main categories. *Raf ...

in Mirs Bay between 10 PM and 6 AM without written permission of the

Hong Kong Police Force The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) is the primary law enforcement, investigative agency, and largest Hong Kong Disciplined Services, disciplined service under the Security Bureau (Hong Kong), Security Bureau of Hong Kong. Pursuant to the one c ...

. For purposes of the order, the dividing line between Tolo Channel and Mirs Bay runs from Wong Chuk Kok Tsui to Ngo Keng Tsui (; ).

Features

Within the bay are numerous smaller harbors and inlets on the Hong Kong side: * Starling Inlet * Tai Po Hoi * Kat O Hoi * Tai Tan Hoi * Sha Tin Hoi * Hoi Ha Bay The bay includes a number of islands, with an extensive group lying in the northwestern part of the bay, including: * Double Island * Crescent Island * Crooked Island * Grass Island, at the western side of the entrance to Mirs Bay * Round Island To the south of Mirs Bay, water flows out to the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan island, Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luz ...

References

External links

* showing Mirs Bay and major islands * {{HongKong-geo-stub Bays of Hong Kong Geography of Shenzhen Bays of Guangdong Dapeng New District