The Hong Kong Marine Police have patrolled Hong Kong's water for a hundred and fifty eventful years, during a time which has been tumultuous, even for the China Coast. Pirates, typhoons, wars, triumphs and defeats have all played a part in their story, which in many ways reflects that of Hong Kong itself. This book tells of the unit's first 109 years, from the tentative rowing patrols of Hong Kong Harbour in 1841 to the gunboats of the 1930s and the ragged flotilla which reinstated the rule of law after the cataclysm of World War II. Where possible the story is told by the men who lived it, and their words bring to life this account of a unique multi-cultural unit.