HTMS ''Maeklong'' ( th, เรือหลวงแม่กลอง) is a retired

Royal Thai Navy The Royal Thai Navy ( Abrv: RTN, ทร.; th, กองทัพเรือไทย, ) is the naval warfare force of Thailand. Established in 1906, it was modernised by the Admiral Prince Abhakara Kiartiwongse (1880–1923) who is known a ...

escort vessel (classified also as a corvette or sloop) and training ship, built at the Uraga Dock in

Yokosuka is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has a population of 409,478, and a population density of . The total area is . Yokosuka is the 11th most populous city in the Greater Tokyo Area, and the 12th in the Kantō region. The city ...

, Japan. Her sister ship was . The ''Maeklong'' is preserved in concrete in Chulachomklao Fort in Phra Samut Chedi District, Samut Prakan Province,

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

. The ship is named after a river, the

Mae Klong The Mae Klong (, , ), sometimes spelled Mae Khlong or Meklong, is a river in western Thailand. The river begins at the confluence of the Khwae Noi (Khwae Sai Yok) and the Khwae Yai River (Khwae Si Sawat) in Kanchanaburi, it passes Ratchaburi ...

Construction and commissioning

HTMS ''Maeklong'' construction along with four other warships was ordered and signed by the

on 13 August 1935 and Phra Prakobkollakij was assigned as the general overseer of all the five warships, where Luang Chanchakrakij was to overseer the detailed construction of HTMS ''Maeklong'' and HTMS ''Tachin''. Royal keel-laying ceremony for HTMS ''Maeklong'' was held on 24 July 1936, at the

Uraga Dock Company was a major privately owned shipyard in Uraga, Japan, which built numerous warships for the Imperial Japanese Navy. History Uraga Dock Company was founded by Enomoto Takeaki in 1869. A shipyard had already existed in Uraga from the end of the ...

, Japan. HTMS ''Maeklong'' has delivery and returned to Thailand on 10 June 1937 and arrived at Ratcha Woradit Pier on 26 September 1937. The

Ministry of Defense {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...

organized a welcoming ceremony and enrolled in the ship on the day the ship arrived in Thailand. At the ceremony Prince Oscar Anuvatana, President of the regency council in the

King Rama VIII Ananda Mahidol ( th, พระบาทสมเด็จพระปรเมนทรมหาอานันทมหิดล; ; 20 September 1925 – 9 June 1946), posthumous reigning title Phra Athamaramathibodin ( th, พระอั� ...

presided over the ceremony at the Rajakij Winitchai Pavilion. HTMS ''Maeklong'' commissioned in 1937, served as a training ship for naval officers until the age of 60 is considered the longest active warship in the history of the Thai navy and the second longest in the world.

Service history

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, HTMS ''Maeklong'' patrolled the Thai territories to protect the Gulf of Thailand until the war was over and used to be a royal ship in many times, for example, when

went to study in Switzerland on 13 January 1938, or when the King returned to Bangkok on 2 December 1951 and used in royal proceedings to inspect the Naval Parade and Observing the landing of the marines at Bang Saen Beach, Chon Buri Province on 20 November 1954. In addition, it was organized as a ship to bring bone ash of

King Prajadhipok Prajadhipok ( th, ประชาธิปก, RTGS: ''Prachathipok'', 8 November 1893 – 30 May 1941), also Rama VII, was the seventh monarch of Siam of the Chakri dynasty. His reign was a turbulent time for Siam due to political and ...

to Tha Ratchaworadit on 20 May 1949.

HTMS Maeklong Museum

Later,

King Bhumibol Adulyadej Bhumibol Adulyadej ( th, ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช; ; ; (Sanskrit: ''bhūmi·bala atulya·teja'' - "might of the land, unparalleled brilliance"); 5 December 192713 October 2016), conferred with the title King Bhumibol the Great ...

asked the Royal Thai Navy that should preserve the old warships and make them into a museum of military history to disseminate knowledge to the public. Therefore, in the auspicious occasion of King Bhumibol will ascend the throne for the 50th year in 1996, the Royal Thai Navy built the Thai Warship Museum in honor of the Golden Jubilee Year of King Bhumibol by conserving the Mae Klong Luang boat and creating a warship museum in the navy's outdoor museum project.

Gallery

File:Ananda Mahidol and Bhumibol Adulyadej 1939.01.13.jpg, King Ananda Mahidol and Prince Bhumibol Adulyadej on HTMS ''Maeklong'' in 1939 File:HTMS Maeklong, Command Bridge - panoramio.jpg, Command Bridge of HTMS ''Maeklong'' File:HTMS Maeklong, Chulachomklao Fort Museum - panoramio.jpg, On the HTMS ''Maeklong'' File:HTMS Maeklong, Chulachomklao Fort Museum - panoramio (3).jpg, Stern of HTMS ''Maeklong'' File:Naval Museum - HTMS Maeklong Model - panoramio.jpg, Model of HTMS ''Maeklong''

References

* Gardiner, Robert and Roger Chesneau. ''Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946''. London: Conway Maritime Press, 1980. . * Mikesh, Robert C. and Shorzoe Abe. ''Japanese Aircraft 1910–1941''. London: Putnam, 1990. .

External links

HTMS Maeklong Conservation Project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maeklong Museum ships in Thailand Ships of the Royal Thai Navy 1936 ships Buildings and structures in Samut Prakan province Tourist attractions in Samut Prakan province Ships built by Uraga Dock Company Japan–Thailand military relations Royal and presidential yachts World War II frigates