"On the night of August 9, 1981 the I-ES, Kwongsang ran into a typhoon and, at about 830 August 10, 1981 sank in the vicinity of Sugar Loaf Island, off Funing Bay, there being only three included their final findings, the Marine Court, of Inquiry investigating at Hongkong one of the worst mari-disasters on the China Coast in many years, has just stamped an official finis on the story of the Kwongsang tragedy, the details of which are now incorporated in the age-old. traditions of British ships and British seamen, The first witness called was Lee Bei-yuen, Chinese fireman on the doomed vessel who, with two native shipmates, on other wreckage, drifted off Funing Bay, clinging to a bit of wood for over two days, Soe e ree, swe heard detail the "strenuous, several bumping sounds aft, as the Rwongsang hed struck', some rocks," Lee declared, "At 7.20. the gaine-room felegranh rang stand. bye At 720 the engines. were stopped and T then went aft 10 Stare the ballast pump. Everyone was on deck, I found, trying to put
away, leaving only four amidships. on the a en swe life preséryrs. The tall boats Both" anchors "were dropped. about 14 fathoms of, water.
"A. few minutes Tater a seaman hat the engine room Was fof water and at 8.30 the ship suddenly foundered, all those deck being thrown inthe water a5 there was no time t2 launch the boats that were left.
"The rain and wind continued all that night, although at intervals the saw fights, The next day, Lee boats moored in the streets. Many people were fishing in the streets] Jand where the fields had been. In) frequent instances the walls of the houses had collapsed.
When we flew over this area the wind had whipped up waves over the fields and the few remaining. dykes were being eroded rapidly.
Thousands of refugees had con-gated along the dykes lining the rand Canal and on an uncomplet-Jed road just south of the flood area. Many had gathered in all of the cities both within and horde ing the food. city. of Fowning on the north was badly flooded.
On the east the flood waters had almost reached the sea and in the far northeast section they were; only held in by the dykes which had originally been constructed, to keep out the high tide from the} sea.
The water was pouring with high velocity through numerous breaks in the Grand Canal into} this area and there were no signs lof receding levels east of the [Canal 5 santir 2, we fe, ae ence Be Sel River te Hoods were receding and det ce SP, diy discerned land but it was Dot ttl Tate im the attern fe! was washed ashore, "When "he Teguined" "consciousness, he found himself in @ motive village' where Soo" Kval-yuen firemen cook the Kevongean, Iter put appearance, ving' undergone similar' experience' Several Gave afterwards the thied and last Sure viver, Wong Fu-tin, a seaman, was found, Eventually the thio reached Shanghai" on" Rative junk and steamers, No others of the comple: ment of sx' Brith "offeersy" one native ratings, reached shore alive, senger and approximately "45
Petkane of the court, coated The "cook and seamen, Cos sav, also being" permited physical condition. sie Lieut.-Commander William Ad" arns of H.M.S. Sepoy related in com Prehensive search m Messrs. Jardine, Matheson & Ca Ltd, for the missing men. Ail that could be located, however, testified, "were numerous bodies and graves, together with "some Being unable to identity the mins, ey were "crotally monies by the Sepoy monies by the Sepoy chap oat by brought One' interesting detail was his discovery of a villages who is Saw a ship with a red fuel, lieved to be the doonted "Kwan sang, off Angie Ishind on the ght the typhoon. The ative, etd that after' dusk. the lights of the ott could be acer bub net the haa oes as told.
ning the ship had. die
Kwongsang sunk' LleutGome regarding the spot. where der Adams: stated "his "belle that she had Zoundered to the seat of Fuyan slond andthe entrance of Fuyang Bay, During'a typhoon 4 week Tater, He described: a thsces not current' in these waters heats south, The chart of this Wielns ity, he added, was innceu that Sugar Leat stand shawld be shown at least a mile to of its charted po: tion, The entire findings of the Court {official number 115883 of Hong: steel aH a vicinity of Sugar Island, off beet Re AT a
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.