A former British Navy warship that played a key role in the city's handover in 1997 is up for sale this month, giving the government a rare chance to buy a piece of Hong Kong's maritime history.
But officials say HMS Chatham, which escorted the Royal Yacht Britannia during the handover to Chinese sovereignty and was in control of military operations in the months leading up to it, is of "low historical significance" and there are no plans to buy it.
Former Royal Navy lieutenant and Hong Kong resident Daniel Keeping, 39, who served on a similar vessel and saw the HMS Chatham in action during the handover, disagrees.
He believes the frigate would be a popular tourist attraction and could be berthed near the Museum of Coastal Defence in Shau Kei Wan or the Maritime Museum, which is slated to open this month at Central pier 8.
"I think it would draw in a lot of tourists but it would also be popular with locals," hesaid.
A Leisure and Cultural Services Department spokeswoman said: "Compared with other HMS naval ships in the defence history of Hong Kong, this ship has not played a particularly important role. Given the comparatively low historical relationship of the ship to Hong Kong, we do not have plans to acquire it at this stage."
