One of the most auspicious days in the history of the Royal Thai Navy, Jun 24, 1997 records the first day of introduction of a royal ship museum in Thailand. Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Navy, Admiral Wichit Chamnankarn, at the Chullachomklao Fortress, Phra Samut Chedi Sub-district of Samut Prakan Province, officially opened the museum.
The Royal Thai Navy initially planned to display sections of Thai warships, but the new museum, named H.T.M.S Mae Klong Museum, is the first in Thailand to place on display a complete warship. Also featured is an exhibition of the history of the “Mae Klong” warship and activities carried out by the Navy on different occasions.
The museum was one of the projects conducted by the Royal Thai Navy to commemorate the 50th anniversary of His Majesty the King's Accession to the Throne, celebrated on June 9, 1996. Declared by the Ministry of Defense to be in a state of disrepair, H.T.M.S Mae Klong decommissioned on July 25, 1996 and went on display to the public at the new museum.
Constructed following the enactment of the Navy Promotion Act in 1935 during the reign of King Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII), H.T.M.S. Mae Klong enjoyed a long service history. Phrya Phahol Pholphayuhasena was prime minister at the time. The Royal Thai Navy had tried, unsuccessfully, for thirty-years to acquire a warship for national defense. Budget constraints intervened.
Both H.T.M.S. Mae Klong and H.T.M.S. Tha Chin, regarded by naval officers as sisters ships, were constructed in Japan for the Royal Thai Navy to be used as training vessels, or sloops, along with three small torpedo boats. In times of war, the vessels played a role in marine national defense and as training ships during peacetime for both naval offices and cadets for marine navigation training in foreign ports.
Construction of H.T.M.S. Mae Klong began on July 24, 1936 at a ceremony in Yokosuka City, Japan, presided over by Phra Mitrakamraksa, Thailand's Ambassador to Japan. Eight months later, the outer section of the ship was completed and the vessel was launched at a ceremony on November 2, 1936. Initially the ship was armed with cannons, submachine guns, torpedoes and offshore aircraft.
Following construction, successful offshore technical trials took place on April 20, 1937, at which time the Ministry of Defense dispatched ships' crews to bring back H.T.M.S. Mae Klong, H.T.M.S. Tha Chin and the three torpedo boats to Thailand. Commander Luang Yutthakitphilat (Mee Patthamananwin) commanded H.T,M.S. Mae Klong and H.T.M.S. Tha Chin was under the command of Commander Luang Naopholrak (Chun Suwankhadi).
The flotilla, which left Kobe, JAPan on July 16, 1937 for Thailand, encountered a series of severe storms during the two-month voyage, but arrived safely on Thai shores thanks to the crews' abilities to keep all vessels afloat. The ships docked on September 24, 1937 at the Royal Thai Navy base at Satthahip in Chonburi Province. This was the first voyage of H.T.M.S Mae Kong which two days later berthed at Bangkok's Ratchaworadit Pier after steaming up the Chao Phraya River.
Captain Prince Arthithaya Thipabha, Regent of King Ananda Mahidol, presided over a grand welcoming ceremony for the ship and its crew.
Since H.T.M.S. Mae Klong was named after the Mae Klong River, the main waterway for Samut Songkhram Province, the Navy dispatched the royal ship to the province to allow residents to enjoy their own proud moments with the vessel over three days from February 3 to 6, 1938. Here, the Mae Klong residents presented a Buddha image and plaque as a magic charm to protect serving officers and crew from all worldly dangers.
H.T.M.S. Mae Klng entered active service for the first on May 15, 1938, training navy cadets on a voyage that called at Saigon, Manila and Kuching. The ship later headed for southern Thailand ports of Tak Bai, Pattani, Songkhla, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Prachuab Khiri Khan, eventually arriving in Bangkok on July 4, 1938.
The ships's last tour of offshore training took place between January 30 and March 20, 1995 offering the Navy to opportunity to take the ship's company to bid farewell to the residents of Mae Klong. H.T.M.S. Mae Klong's officers and crew joined forces with Samut Songkhram Province in a farewell ceremony for the ship on the Mae Klong River between March 17 and 18, 1995.
During it's entire period of active service, H.T.M.S. Mae Klong performed admirably both in times of war and peace. The warship saw active service patrolling territorial waters in the Gulf of Thailand during conflict with France at the time of World War II warfare in Indochina.
Also used as a royal barge for Their Majesties the King and Queen and members of the Royal Family, the ship served to transport King Ananda Mahidol, and the present Monarch from Ratchaworadit Pier to the vessel Sealandia achored of Si Chang island Chon Buri Province. Their Majesties were returning to Lausanne, Switzerland, to continue their studies. The warship was also used to transport the royal relics of King Prajadhipok (Rama VII) from the mouth of the Chao Phraya River to Ratchaworadit Pier.
H.T.M.S. Mae Klong journeyed further than any of the ships in service with the Royal Thai Navy, serving Thailand for sixty years before being honored as “teaching ship.” The H.T.M.S. Mae Klong Museum serves as a link between the past and the present time enabling future generations to study the ship and the activities of the Royal Thai Navy. The museum is open every weekday between 8:30 and 16:30 and admission is free.
