World Travel 4 Indians

To the west of the park is the Sembawang Shipyard, which was His Majesty's Naval Base (H M Naval Base) of the British Royal Navy from 1920s until Singapore's independence.

The busy and geographically advantaged port in Singapore and the urgent need for a naval base made the British decide to establish a Naval Base in Singapore.

In 1923, the construction of Naval Base began in Sembawang and completed in 1938. In between it slowed down due to Naval Disarmament Treaty.

The fully operational Naval Base was opened by Sir Shenton Thomas, the then Singpore Governor on 14 February 1938; it was the largest Dockyard outside the British Naval Base.

The battleship HMS Prince of Wales and the battlecruiser HMS Repulse with four destroyers forming the "Z" force landed in Singapore's Naval Base on 2 December 1941.

Following the Pearl Harbor attack, the Japanese also bought Johore coastlines just opposite the Naval Base and attacked the two warships unexpectedly. The two unsinkable war cruisers sank on 10 December 1941, on whose memory a Sembawang Memorial was unveiled in Sembawang wharfs in 2005.

The Dockyard was closed down in January 1942 realizing that Japanese could use the Naval Base. The British surrendered to Japanese on 15 February 1942, whose details could be found much more from Memories at Old Ford Factory museum where the surrender was signed.

For the following three years, till 1945, the Japanese used the naval base to service and repair their navy ships. On 6 September 1945, the Japanese surrendered to the British in Sembawang fleet shore accommodation, now called HMS Terror. From 1968, the naval base was converted and came to use as Sembawang Shipyard.

The attacks and operations of the Naval Base at Sembawang, are closely connected to the Jetty, Pier and accommodation at the Sembawang Park itself.

Sembawang Beach features among the few extant natural sand beaches in Singapore. The others include the Changi Beach, the Labrador Beach and the East Coast Beach.

Sembawang Beach is a great place to take delight in a perfect beach holiday along with the entire family. Among the beach lovers, Sembawang Beach scores a high point as a perfect spot for swimming, fishing, barbecuing, and partying.

With families getting together at the beach for a beach party, Sembawang Beach assumes the character of a carnival site.

Sembawang Park and the beach are both very popular among the locals and the tourists alike. Its fishing and the camping sites act as an additional lure for them. During the weekends Sembawang Beach sees an influx of families setting their camps at the beach side.

The barbecue pits along the shore are the perfect venue to get together over a party. Swimming in the natural beach has a charm of its own. The Sembawang Park has serenity about it and you would love to lose yourself amid the greenery with the birds singing in their mellifluous voice.

This experience is something unique and much removed from the bustle of downtown Singapore.

The nature of the sand and the water of Sembawang Beach, have changed little over the years and there are many who want to retain the natural character of this beach and are against the land reclamation proposal.

World Travel 4 Indians is an international travel site and a repository of useful information on Sembawang Beach, Singapore and other gorgeous beaches in Singapore and around the world.