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To fulfill the goal of making the colony of Hong Kong a facilitating centre for China trade, the colonial government quickly proclaimed Hong Kong Island as a free trade port shortly after the establishment of the colony in January 1841. The free port policy attracted not only foreign traders to do business in Hong Kong, but also scoundrels, especially pirates and their ilk, who posed a threat to the development of trade. For the maintenance of law and order in the colony, Captain Charles Elliott, the British Administrator in Hong Kong, who was also the British Plenipotentiary and the Chief Superintendent of Trade in China, appointed Captain William Caine of the 26th Regiment as the Chief Magistrate of Hong Kong, and Lieutenant William Pedder, the Navigating Officer of the 660-ton paddle-steamer Nemesis, as the Harbour Master and Marine Magistrate. While Captain Caine was responsible for maintaining order ashore, Lieutenant Pedder was responsible for maintaining order afloat.^[1]

In 1842, in a bid to curb piracy and similar problems afloat, Lieutenant Pedder formed the Harbour Police after establishing the Harbour Master’s Office the previous year. However, as the colonial government lacked money, the Harbour Police had insufficient resources and manpower, and consequently needed help from the Royal Navy in maintaining order. In 1844, Governor Sir John Francis Davis tried hard to raise money from local merchants to buy two lorchas for anti-piracy operations. Unfortunately, the money raised could only buy one small lorcha, which was probably the first colonial launch owned by the colonial government in Hong Kong.^[2]

When the Colonial Police Force was established in 1844, the Harbour Police was incorporated into it and renamed the Water Police. It was obvious that one small lorcha was not enough for the anti-piracy work. The governor, Sir John Francis Davis, repeatedly petitioned the British Government to finance the purchase of more vessels. The British government approved the request. From 1846 to 1848, the Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong bought four vessels for the Water Police to conduct anti-piracy work. These vessels, including the small lorcha, were managed by the Water Police. There was, however, no government dockyard for the maintenance and repair of these launches. It is believed that the Colonial Secretary invited tenders from the private slipways for repairing and maintaining the vessels.^[3]

As the colonial government did not have any intention to establish a proper government fleet, the Colonial Secretary continued to be the officer-in-charge of the purchase, construction and maintenance of colonial launches throughout the 19th century to the 1920s, with systematic management of launches by the Harbour Master’s Office. After the governor of Hong Kong, or the British Government, approved the request for purchasing, constructing or repairing the colonial launches from different government departments such as the Health Office, the Imports and Exports Department, and the Sanitary Department, the Colonial Secretary would invite tenders by posting notifications in the Government Gazette. Some of the notifications included detailed requirements for the colonial launches. After careful consideration, the Colonial Secretary would appoint a suitable dockyard company for constructing or repairing the colonial launches. The Government Surveyor’s Office would supervise the process of construction and maintenance. From the 19th century to the 1920s, Kwong Hip Loong, the Taikoo Dockyard and Engineering Company, the Whampoa Dockyard, and the Kowloon Dockyard successfully won most of the tenders for the construction or repair of colonial launches.^[4]

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