A fast knowledge based recognition method of the harbor target in large gray remote-sensing image is presented. First, the distributed features and the inherent feature are analyzed according to the knowledge of harbor targets; then, two methods for extracting the candidate region of harbor are devised in accordance with different sizes of the harbors; after that, thresholds are used to segment the land and the sea with strategies of the segmentation error control; finally, harbor recognition is implemented according to its inherent character (semi-closed region of seawater).