 Following surveys, a site at Sembawang was chosen for a naval base. The Straits Settlements made a free gift of 2,845 acres (1,151 ha) of land for the site, and a sum of £ 250,000 for construction of the base was donated by Hong Kong in 1925. That exceeded the United Kingdom's contribution that year of £ 204,000 towards the floating dock. Another £ 2,000,000 was paid by the Federated Malay States, while New Zealand donated another £ 1,000,000. The contract for construction of the naval dockyard was awarded to the lowest bidder, Sir John Jackson Limited, for £ 3,700,000. Some 6,000,000 cubic yards (4,600,000 m3) of earth were moved to level the ground, and 8,000,000 cubic yards (6,100,000 m3) of marsh was filled in. The floating dock was constructed in England and towed to Singapore by Dutch tugboats. It was 1,000 feet (300 m) long and 1,300 feet (400 m) wide, making it one of the largest in the world. There would be 5,000 feet (1,500 m) of deep water quays, and supporting infrastructure including warehouses, workshops and hospitals.
