HMS Li Wo - Hong Kong Made Battleship

HMS Li Wo - The most decorated Hong Kong made small warship in the history of the British Royal Navy

On Valentine’s Day in 1942, HMS Li Wo, a patrol vessel of the British Royal Navy was commissioned to go to Singapore to protect the safety of Batavia in the Dutch East Indies.  There were only 84 crews on the boat including Lieutenant Captain, Thomas Wilkinson.  A few days before the vessel encountered a Japanese cavalry brigade, she was already damaged by the enemy’s air force.  Facing a severe situation of being outnumbered and outgunned by the enemy, Wilkinson did not flinch at all, he decided to go full speed ahead and attacked! With only 13 ammo for the 4-inch pop gun they had, this little ferry attacked the Japanese ships fearlessly and set one of them on fire, forcing the larger Japanese navy to abandon their ship.  Although it was sunk at the end, the news of this ship fighting against all odds was widespread.  Eventually, HMS Li Wo became the most decorated warship in the history of the British Royal Navy! 

The manufacturer of this warship, Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock and Co, was internationally renowned since Hong Kong’s inception as a port.  From ship maintenance to building large cruise ships and helping other countries build warships, HK Whampoa Dock and Co was one of the most advanced and largest dockyards in the Far East at the time.