maomatic, eswube, wb21 : thank you
Tachin class : Sloop and Training Ship
In 1935 RTN ordered 2 training sloops from Mitsui Bussan Kaisha Company, Japan for the first naval development project. These were the first two RTN warships that were seaplane capable.
HTMS Maeklong is a Tachin class, she laid down on 24 July 1936 at Uraga Dockyard in Yokosuka, Japan and commissioned on 10 July 1937. The ship was designed primarily to serve a couple of missions, patrol ship in wartime and training ship in peacetime.
Specifications:
Displacement : 1,400 tons
Dimensions 85 x 10.5 x 3.7 metres
Main machinery : two reciprocating steam engines of 2,500 horse powers
Maximum speed : 17 knots
Range : 5,700 miles at maximum speed and 16,000 miles at the cruise speed (10 knots)
Armaments :
4x120mm Japan naval guns
1x 20 mm madsen machine gun
2x450 mm twin-tube torpedo launchers
2xmine rails
2xtype S paravane
1xWatanabe WS-103 seaplane
HTMS Maeklong in 1944, remove torpedo launchers, seaplane and winch. Add 1x40/40 japan anti-aircraft guns twin-barrels, 2x40/40 japan anti-aircraft guns single-barrel, and 2to4xtype 90 depth charge guns. but i don't have a good photo.
HTMS Maeklong in 1952, remove all 40/40 japan anti-aircraft guns and 20 mm madsen machine gun. add 3x40/60 Bofors anti-aircraft guns, 3xOerlikon 20mm cannon guns, and 1xSG serface search radar on the top of foremast.
HTMS Maeklong in 1969 (pennant number=3), remove all 120mm japan naval guns, paravane, and SG serface search radar. add 4x76/50 mm MK.22 MOD 0 dual purpose guns and 1xnew navigation radar.
HTMS Maeklong in 1996, create new bridge superstructure and add the second navigation radar. change pennant number to 414.
HTMS Maeklong was in service for 59 years, including the prestigious duty as a royal ship for King Rama VIII and King Rama IX (His Majesty King Bhumibol, the present King). January 30 to March 20, 1995, HTMS Maeklong served as a sea training ship for the last time as she took the first, second, and third year naval cadets of the academic year 1994 on their training journey.
She was decommissioned in 1996, and now open as a museum ship. Nearby cities: Bangkok, Pattaya City, Samut Songkhram Province. Coordinates: 13°32'19"N 100°35'3"E
His Majesty King Bhumibhol Adulyadej once noted that the Royal Thai Navy should conserve its old warships as a museum of military history to propagate the knowledge to the public. Consequently, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of His Majesty the King's accession to the throne in 1996, the Royal Thai Navy plans to make a Thai warship museum of H.T.M.S. Maeklong. The ship will be docked for the public to visit. The pier and the area nearby will be arranged to become the Royal Thai Navy's outdoor museum. HTMS Maeklong herself will function as the main body of the museum. The ship will salute with flags flown and decoration lights illuminated on important occasions. Major guests of the kingdom can be received there and some activities will be displayed as part of the Royal Thai Navy's public relations.