The Man With The Golden Gun (1974)
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Submitted by philk on Sun, 2009-08-23 23:26
This has already been discussed, but I felt it need some photos to add some context. Perhaps we can move the comments in line at some later point?
Some famous sites to spot in this one including the RMS Queen Elizabeth. I believe it has been used, in part, for the Chek Lap Kok reclamation, but I did hear an unconfirmed rumour that there is still a large portion of it where it sank. The submerged superstructures position is supposedly marked by a buoy - can anyone confirm this?
Hong Kong -> Macau ferry (pre-Shun Tak)
Western Market and (pre-flyover) Connaught Road
The Peninsula Hotel
Bottoms Up Club and surrounds
Dragon Garden on Castle Peak Road
Places shown in this film:
Comments
RMS Queen Elizabeth in "The Man with the Golden Gun"
These scenes appear when Bond makes the trip from Macau to Hong Kong on the HK Macau Hydrofoil.
Does anyone know the exact location of where the wreck was? Is that Kau Yi Chau in the background of the last shot?
Hong Kong Macau Hydrofoil
The next stop is at the hydrofoil, pre-Shun Tak Building. Here we can see the old bus stop, parts of Connaught Road (before the flyover was built) and Western Market.
The Peninsula Hotel
Bond follows the green Rolls Royce back to the Peninsula Hotel.
It's interesting to note (or maybe not) that the cars move in a clockwise direction around the front of the Pen, I wonder when this was changed to the current anticlockwise direction?
RMS Queen Elizabeth
The site of the remains of the RMS Queen Elizabeth is now under the Container Terminal No 9 site on Tsing Yi Island somewhere around where the new bridge passes over to Tsing Yi. There was a brief mention of it in the SCMP 6 January 1997 noting that it would be buried under this proposed new terminal. The island in the film clip is the tail end of Stonecutters Island.
The ship was set ablaze on Sunday 9 January 1972. At around 0730 on the morning after, I was on a Walla-Walla circling the upright smoking ship two or three times photographing it from close quarters. By this time the ship was listing heavily due to the amount of water the Fire Services had pumped onto her to try and contain the fire. On the side closest to Stonecutters, hull doors were still open at or below sea level therefore sea water was pouring into the hull. At around midday the ship slowly rolled over and I took a sequence of images of this as it settled down on the seabed still pouring out smoke. Another trip was made around the hulk in the late afternoon.
Much later, after the Commission of Enquiry into the loss of the S.S. Seawise University as the ship was now known had concluded, the hull was cut up by Korean divers down to mud level. Over this period I took more images of it being cut up.
There was some urgency to remove it as it the wreck was adjacent to the shipping channel leading to the newly built container berths next to Tsing Yi Bridge. However it was several years before all salvage work ceased.
IDJ
Re: Location of RMS Queen Elizabeth
From the internet.
Story and Photos of the wreck:
http://www.cruiseserver.net/travelpage/ships/cu_qe.asp
Location of the wreck: 22d 17'31.45"N 114d 10'02.31"E
http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=98970&site_id=1#import
Re: Location of RMS Queen Elizabeth
Hi Moddsey
Those coordinates don't tally in GoogleEarth as they are just in front of star ferry. I had a look at another message on that forum and it looks as though the following might be more accurate: 22°18'27.99"N 114° 6'57.20"E
In fact if you look at this location on GE you will see it is slap bang in the middle of a group of 6 buoys which seem to be marking out a (roughly) rectangular area. I wonder if this is where the partial wreck still sits (assuming that rumour is true).
Cheers
Phil
Re: Location of RMS Queen Elizabeth
Sorry, Phil. Was in a rush and did not have time to check the previous co-ordinates referenced.
Re: Location of RMS Queen Elizabeth
I was in a rush too and didn't read the history link you gave (http://www.cruiseserver.net/travelpage/ships/cu_qe.asp) which states that:
The bulk of the above-water wreck was cut down for scrap and the remaining underwater portion became such a navigation problem that it was eventually removed and folded into the landfill used to provide the foundation for one of the runways of the new Hong Kong International Airport.
So I guess my rumour, about it still being there, goes out of the window.
Outside the Bottoms Up
I have no idea where it was (Hankow Rd?) although i do remember seeing it in TST on one of my original trips to HK. In the film it is suposed to be located on HK Island. Edit: this sequence was filmed on Hanoi Road
Re: Location of the original Bottoms up
Hi there,
It was the basement of Mohan's Bldg, 14 - 16 Hankow Road, Kowloon. It is currently being occupied by Japan Home Centre (日本城). On the street level it's a Fortress chain now.
Best Regards,
T
Dragon Garden on Castle Peak Road
Finally, Bond goes to Hi Fat's place (although in the film it is supposedly in Bangkok) which used Dragon Garden on Castle Peak Road as the filming location.
I remember reading on the original incarnation of Cynthia Lee's website (she is the custodian of the garden and the granddaughter of its creator: Dr Lee Iu Cheung) that the famous red doors were removed when they widened Castle Peak Road, and have been kept in storage until such time as they can be replaced.
I think she lets in organised groups so perhaps this could be a destination for a future Gwulo field trip :-)
Previous comments on 'The Man with the Golden Gun'
tngan:
The exterior of the wreck of RMS Queen Elizabeth was featured in a Bond Movie in the mid 1970's as the covert local MI6 HQ. Hmmm.... and I thought the real MI6 was in Siu Sai Wan back then.......
moddsey:
The Bond film was The Man with the Golden Gun and it also contained scenes of TST, Peninsula, topless bar 'Bottoms Up' and Dragon's Inn on Castle Peak Road.
1972 wreck of the Seawise University, the former RMS Queen Elizabeth
moddsey:
Thanks to Phil and IDJ for confirmation that the scene was from the Dragon Villa/Garden.
Following notes and 1983 photos are courtesy of IDJ.
moddsey:
A website showing the scenes from this film: http://bond.web.idv.hk/bond/007inhk.php
anonymous:
You also get a quick look at the Furama hotel, with it's revolving restaurant. No longer standing :(
Re: Bottoms Up
Reposting:http://www.time.com/time/asia/2004/journey/hk2.html
It would appear that the interior scenes of the premises were shot in the UK.
According to the Cunarders
According to the Cunarders website, about 45,000 tons from RMS Queen Elizabeth was recovered as scrap. Of the remaining wreckage, one quarter is said to be buried under CT9.
The definitive answer would have to come from the Marine Department's Hydrographic Office, however. If there's anything remaining of the QE's hull underwater, that would prove a potential hazard to shipping and would definitely be shown on one or more of their (reasonably affordable) charts. I'm guessing HK0803 is the best bet to show the location, or perhaps HK1502 / HK3002.
Re: The Peninsula Hotel
Hi there,
There had been quite a few changes after the Peninsula built their high-rise section. The most significant change was the fountain, which is now just about less than half of it's original size (I think).
Best Regards,
T
QE/Seawise U
The answer is to use the information in the pictures to triangulate the wreck. The middle image has the wreck lying stern to the WSW in transit with Tai Mo Shan, a pylon from the old power line (on 1989 survey maps still) on the ridgeline and the old (much still existing) tank farm on S Tsing Yi. It's probably the W tip of Stonecutters off the bow. The bottom picture seems to show Kau Yi Chau in line with the W end of the Chi Ma wan Peninsula on Lantao. That gives two lines of bearing. The puzzler is the top picture. The small island is hard to locate given the orientation of the ship. My guess would be Siu Kau Yi Chau, unfortunately not in line with anything visible for a transit. But put together it suggests the wreck was in or around a position 1.37 nautical miles 345 True from the light on Green Island.
SD
QE/Seawise U
See also.
http://gwulo.com/RMS-Queen-Elizabeth-location-in-Hong-Kong
RMS Queen Elizabeth
You can see her just off Tsing Yi here, making the previous comment on position correct:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelcairns/4508567985/in/photostream/