Thailand ordered Thonburi and Sri Ayudhya from Japan with four 8-inch guns, anti-aircraft weapons, and modest armor on a hull of about 2,300 tons. Thonburi served as flagship and fought a stronger French force at Ko Chang in 1941, where she was damaged and grounded before Japanese salvage workers recovered her. The episode places coastal defence ships in an often-overlooked wartime contest shaped by Thai territorial claims, Vichy French forces in Indochina, and Japanese diplomatic intervention.
Notable Point · 2:55:05-3:03:24
Thailand's Thonburi class at the Battle of Ko Chang
The Japanese-built Thonburi class connects the coastal-defence type to the Franco-Thai War and the Battle of Ko Chang.