Sindh Kamalanavin (23 June 1901 – 14 May 1976), commonly known as Luang Sinthusongkhramchai () was a Thai

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

who served as Commander-in-Chief of the

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

in 1934 and then from 1938 to 1951, holding various ministerial roles throughout his career. During the

Siamese Revolution of 1932 The Siamese revolution of 1932 or Siamese coup d'état of 1932 ( or ) was a coup d'état by the People's Party which occurred in Siam on 24 June 1932. It ended Siam's centuries-long absolute monarchy rule under the Chakri dynasty and resulte ...

, he emerged as a prominent leader of the Navy faction within the

Khana Ratsadon The People's Party, known in Thai as Khana Ratsadon (, ), was a Thailand, Siamese group of military and civil officers, and later a political party, which staged a 1932 Siamese coup d'état, bloodless revolution against King Prajadhipok's govern ...

. His efforts to reform the Navy were instrumental in its modernization, notably introducing Thailand’s first submarines.

Life

Sindh graduated from

Suankularb Wittayalai School Suankularb Wittayalai School (โรงเรียนสวนกุหลาบวิทยาลัย; Abbreviation: ส.ก. / S.K.) (also known as Suankularb College) literally ''Rose Garden College'' is an all-boys secondary school for g ...

in 1914 and pursued naval studies in

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

on a government scholarship. While arriving in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1928, he joined Khana Ratsadon by Thawi Bunyaket's invitation and became the Navy faction’s leader. After the 1932 Revolution, he was appointed to several ministerial roles, naval commander-in-chief, and the first president of

Kasetsart University Kasetsart University (; ; commonly Kaset or KU) is a public university, public research university in Bangkok, Thailand. It is the largest university in Thailand. It was Thailand's first agriculture, agricultural university and Thailand's third ...

. He is credited with coining the Thai term for “

submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

” (เรือดำน้ำ). He also oversaw the introduction of Thailand’s first submarines, the Matchanu-class, into naval service. Following the

Manhattan Rebellion The Manhattan Rebellion () was a failed coup attempt by officers of the Royal Thai Navy against the government of Prime Minister Plaek Phibunsongkhram (Phibun) on 29–30 June 1951. They took the prime minister hostage during a handover ceremon ...

in 1951, Sindh was removed from his position as naval commander and, despite his lack of involvement, was convicted of

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...

and imprisoned for three years. He died on 14 May 1976.

Notes

References

Footnotes

Bibliography

* Sindh Kamalanavin 1895 births 1983 deaths Sindh Kamalanavin Sindh Kamalanavin Sindh Kamalanavin Sindh Kamalanavin Sindh Kamalanavin Sindh Kamalanavin {{Thailand-politician-stub