HTMS Chumphon

Courtesy of Patrick LePetit - Chumphon

International Call Sign: Hotel-Sierra-Yankee-Sierra

HTMS Chumphon was one of nine Italian made Trad-class torpedo boats.
She was laid down at Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico (CRDA), Trieste, Italy, on 7 July 1936
Launched: 12 January 1937
Commissioned: 5 October 1938
Decommissioned: 26 November 1975

On display as a memorial near Prince of Chumphon Shrine at Sairee Beach, Chumphon Province, Thailand, since 1980.

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The Siamese navy did not have modern destroyers, but aligned 9 modern coastal torpedo boats: The Trad class, built in Italy (Adriatic shipyards, Montfalcone). The Trad and the Puket were launched in 1935, the Surasdra and the Patani in 1936 and the Chandraburi, Chonburi, Chunphorn, Rayong and Songhkli in 1937.

In order to be in tune with existing stocks of ammunition they had British armaments (Armstrong). Significantly smaller than the contemporary Italian torpedo boats, they were, however, quite marine, significantly more than the Kantan frail. At the tests, they spun 32.3 knots, but in practice the 31 knots were forced. of a torpedo boat, with "aviation" type torpedo tubes in separate tubes (two on each side of the bridge, the other two, double, in the axis). This solution taken up with the Italian torpedo boats made it possible to spare the stability at high speed.

These ships knew the flame of fire against the French fleet at Kho Chang in January 1941. The Puket, the Trad and the Chonburi were put out of action by the guns of the cruiser Lamotte-Picquet, while they were trying to torpedo it. The Trad was however bailed out later, its commander having succeeded in making it gain the coast before sinking, repaired and modernized, it was still operational, like the other survivors, in 1976-80.

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