Mirs Bay Explained

Mirs Bay (also known as Tai Pang Wan, Dapeng Wan, Dapeng Bay, or Mers Bay;) is a bay in the northeast of Kat O and Sai Kung Peninsula of Hong Kong.^[1] The north and east shores are surrounded by Yantian and Dapeng New District of Shenzhen. 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 (e.g. Dapeng Fortress) used against pirates during the Ming Dynasty.^[2]

Mirs Bay was used by then American Commodore (later Admiral) George Washington Dewey during the Spanish–American War as a refuge and repair facility for the US Navy.^[3]

In 1949, the colonial government imposed a curfew under the Public Order Ordinance forbidding movement of watercraft in Mirs Bay between 10 PM and 6 AM without written permission of the Hong Kong Police Force. The order remains in force after the 1997 handover of Hong Kong. For purposes of the order, the dividing line between Tolo Channel and Mirs Bay runs from Wong Chuk Kok Tsui to Ngo Keng Tsui (; 22.463°N 114.3022°W).^[4]

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^{[5] [6]}

The bay includes a number of islands, with an extensive group lying in the northwestern part of the bay, including:^[7]

• 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.

External links

• Web site: Map: Hong Kong. c. 1919. Naval-History.Net. showing Mirs Bay and major islands
• Web site: Photo: Hoi Ha Bay . April 2014 . Save Hoi Ha Community . https://archive.today/20140901151148/https://scontent-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/q87/p180x540/1897712_789608101064137_5909021278964122341_n.jpg?oh=9844a51f2a3ed01aa32f2a4e4f7921e5&oe=5476868C . 1 September 2014 . dead . 1 September 2014 .

Notes and References

1. Mirs Bay, Hong Kong, Admiralty Standard Nautical Chart 4128. 1:30,000. 25 October 2012. Paper Chart Folio No. 50. United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO).
2. Web site: Gallery 2: The Ming Period (1368-1644). Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence. https://web.archive.org/web/20130905001203/http://hk.coastaldefence.museum/en/section3-1-02.php. 5 September 2013. dead.
3. Book: Watterson, Henry. 1898. The Spanish American war: American blockade of the Philippines. Bancroft, Hubert H.. The Great Republic by the Master Historians, Volume IV. https://web.archive.org/web/20120316115340/http://www.publicbookshelf.com/public_html/The_Great_Republic_By_the_Master_Historians_Vol_IV/spanisham_g.html. 16 March 2012. live.
4. Public Order (Movement of Craft) Order
5. Book: Lam, Katherine K. Y.. Hydrography, nutrients and phytoplankton, with special reference to an hypoxic event, at an experimental artificial reef at Hoi Ha Wan, Hong Kong. 1999. Morton, Brian. Asian Marine Biology 16. Hong Kong University Press. Hong Kong. 35–64, page 36. 978-962-209-520-5.
6. Web site: Au Yiu-Keung (Au, Aaron) . 2003 . Hoi Ha Wan – the Marine Kaleidoscope of Hong Kong . Year 2003 Conference on "Sustainable Tourism" . https://web.archive.org/web/20101231145458/http://www.gttp.org/docs/casestudies/2003/03HongKongCase.pdf . 31 December 2010 . dead . etal . 1 September 2014 .
7. Book: Findlay, Alexander G.. 1878. A directory for the navigation of the Indian Archipelago, China, and Japan. second. R. H. Laurie. London. 995 - 998. 8674578.