THE ARMED SERVICES AND AUXILIARY SERVICES
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The Captain-in-Charge Hong Kong has responsibility for the operational control of the Hong Kong Sea Defence Area which extends to 80 kilometres and, with the Director of Marine and the Director of Civil Aviation, for search and rescue operations in the South China Sea. The naval base in HMS Tamar maintains a submarine rescue facility and a recompression chamber for use in diving emergencies. A small clearance diving team assists the police in the recovery of drugs and smuggled goods and is trained in the techniques of searching for and neutralising underwater explosives. The naval staff in Hong Kong administers the Royal Navy berths in Singapore and gives training advice to the First Flotilla of the Royal Brunei Malay Regiment.
Although United Kingdom-based ships did not visit Hong Kong in 1983 due to a continuing presence in the South Atlantic, ships from the United States, Australia, Canada, India and Malaysia visited the base and the ships of the Hong Kong squadron called at ports in Japan, Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines during ocean training exercises.
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Under the direction of the Captain-in-Charge, a team is trained to co-ordinate a scheme of control for the protection of commercial shipping using Hong Kong's port in times of tension or war. Personnel include officers of the reserve forces of the Royal Navy and the Canadian Armed Forces who are resident in Hong Kong and can be ready at very short notice. The team enjoys a close liaison with the Marine Department and shipping companies.
The strength of the naval establishment, including reinforcements, is about 650 and is supported by some 70 locally-employed civilians. The patrol craft are manned partly by Chinese ratings and partly by United Kingdom-based ratings. Altogether, about 380 Chinese personnel are employed ashore and afloat in the seamen, engineering, supply and medical branches. A further 300 locally-recruited merchant seamen and storehousemen serve world-wide on board the ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Manning laundries on Royal Navy ships is another task traditionally undertaken by Hong Kong men. The Royal Navy plays an active part in the community and during the year personnel provided sea training for the Sea Cadet Corps and the Hong Kong Sea School, and gave assistance to the Home of Loving Faithfulness and the Cheshire Home at Chung Hom Kok.
The Army
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The army represents the bulk of the forces in Hong Kong, under the direct command of the Commander British Forces. Command of operational units is delegated to the Comman- der, Gurkha Field Force, while logistic units, grouped as support troops, come under the Deputy Commander British Forces.
During 1983, the 1st Battalion 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Gurkha Rifles replaced the 10th Princess Margaret's Own Gurkha Rifles. Resident throughout the year were the 1st Battalion Scots Guards, the 1st and 2nd Battalions 2nd King Edward's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Siramoor Rifles), and the 2nd Battalion 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Gurkha Rifles.
Support is provided by a number of units permanently based in Hong Kong which include the Queen's Gurkha Engineers, the Queen's Gurkha Signals, the Gurkha Transport Regiment, 660 Squadron Army Air Corps, the Composite Ordnance Depot, 50 Command Workshops Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, and the British Military Hospital. Hong Kong people play an important role through their support of the Royal Hong Kong Regiment (The Volunteers) a locally-enlisted regiment of part-time soldiers, and the Hong Kong Military Service Corps, which is also locally-enlisted but forms part of the British Army. The latter corps is staffed by full-time regular soldiers and numbers some