Shipwreck found in 2014 could be HMS Tamar: preliminary report

A large metal object that was found in 2014 in the seabed near the Wan Chai coastline, along with other stuff that was discovered later, is very likely the wreck of HMS Tamar, a famous British troop carrier from World War II, a preliminary archaeological assessment report says.

According to a 41-page report that was posted Tuesday on the website of the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD), the buried object could be the wreck of the military vessel that was deliberately sunk by British forces in 1941 to prevent its seizure by invading Japanese troops.

The metal object, which is about 40 meters long and 11 meters wide, with corrosion and cracks in certain parts, could be part of thematerial that formed the bottom of HMS Tamar, a marine archaeologist said in the report.

The report also notes that some copper alloy items found in the seabed seemed to belong to British soldiers. Among the items discovered, there was a lock, a commodore's pennant and a name plate.

Yet, the marine archaeologist who wrote the report said the objects, by themselves, are not good enough to conclusively confirm the wreck's identity, news website hk01.com reports.

HMS Tamar had been permanently stationed in Hong Kong since 1897 before it was ordered destroyed toward the end of 1941.

The ship was scuttled on Dec. 12 as authorities feared that it would otherwise be captured and used by the invading Japanese military.

The ship's bell, nameplate or other unique identifier are needed to reach a