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Royal Navy
THE ARMED SERVICES AND AUXILIARY SERVICES
The Royal Navy in Hong Kong has remained fully involved in deterring and apprehending illegal immigrants from China and in intercepting refugees from Vietnam. Under the command of the Captain-in-Charge Hong Kong, the resident forces assisting in this task manned five patrol craft (ex-TON Class minesweepers) and the naval tug Clare.
Since late 1979, additional forces have included a fast patrol boat, two hovercraft and a small boat squadron of Royal Marines, all operating from the naval base at HMS Tamar on the north side of Hong Kong island. They carry out patrols, mainly at night, in support of the Marine Police co-ordination with whom has been a key factor in their success.
The Captain-in-Charge also has a responsibility for search and rescue operations in the South China Sea within the Hong Kong flight information region and as far south as latitude 15° North. The Royal Navy maintains a small clearance diving team which assists the police in the recovery of drugs and stolen property as well as routine diving tasks. Their two-compartment decompression chamber is the only one of its kind in Hong Kong. With recent reinforcements, the strength of the naval establishment is now about 670, supported by some 60 locally-employed civilians. The patrol craft are manned partly by locally-entered Chinese ratings and partly by UK officers and ratings. Altogether, ashore and afloat, about 330 Chinese ratings are employed in the seaman, engineering and supply branches. A further 500 locally-recruited merchant seamen and storehousemen serve world- wide aboard nine ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Service, providing logistic support to Her Majesty's Fleet.
In addition to supporting the main operational tasks, HMS Tamar provides the facilities of a small naval base to visiting warships of several nations.
When local operations permit, the ships of the Hong Kong Squadron visit other countries. in Southeast Asia to provide ocean training for the crews, a chance to exercise with other navies, and a change from patrolling duties in Hong Kong.
The Army
The Army provides the bulk of the forces in Hong Kong, under the direct command of the Commander British Forces. Operational units are concentrated into the Gurkha Field Force, while logistic units are grouped as support troops under the command of the Deputy Commander British Forces.
Infantry battalions stationed in Hong Kong during 1980 were: 1st Battalion the Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons); 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles; 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles; and 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles.
Permanently stationed in Hong Kong are the Queen's Gurkha Engineers and the Queen's Gurkha Signals. Other units include the Training Depot Brigade of Gurkhas; the Com- posite Ordinance Depot; the Gurkha Transport Regiment, which includes a maritime troop; the British Military Hospital; 50 Command Workshops Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers; and the Depot Hong Kong Military Service Corps. In addition, there is the Royal Hong Kong Regiment (The Volunteers) - a locally-enlisted regiment of part-time soldiers.
The Hong Kong Military Service Corps, although a locally-enlisted force, is part of the British Army. All of its ranks are staffed by full-time regular soldiers who can serve for up to 22 years with the army. The corps which currently numbers 1,250 Chinese officers and soldiers is being expanded to provide increased support for locally-based British and Gurkha units. Its Chinese soldiers serve throughout Hong Kong in a wide variety of roles,