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Thai Naval Force Development - 19th Century

Since ancient times, the Thais were capable of constructing seagoing vessels. Most of the ships, sail vessels and kam-pan ships (European style), were used for maritime trade. In wartime, these ships would be transformed into warships by installing weapons. During the period of King Rama I, there were few warships, most of which were a heritage of the Thonburi period. Hence, King Rama I thus ordered that ships be built for use in river and sea. Since the 70-80 warships available could carry only a small number of people, therefore, Prince Ong Chiangsue, was asked to build about 60-70 warships for the Thai Kingdom. The Prince, heir to the Vietnamese throne, was once helped by King Rama I to regain his throne.

In 1791, Prince Ong Chiangsue, who had by then become Emperor Gialon, supplied 70 ships to King Rama I who ordered them stationed at Bang Or Cape. These ships were believed to be small in size and were mainly used for travelling along the coastline. Therefore, during King Rama I's reign, there were about 150 small warships. Large war vessels were few and were used mainly for maritime trade.

In the period of King Rama II [r. 1809-1824], Thailand began trading with Europeans again, thereby making maritime trading a big business. As John Crawford, Envoy of the British Governor, said "Bangkok is a large seaport in Asia, not taking into account other seaports of the countries which have already been colonized by Europe."

The progress of maritime trade brought in huge amount of profits, contributing to a stronger navy. Moreover, these merchant ships could also be used as warships. According to Crawford, in that period there were 70 Chinese vessels having displacement ranging from 96 to 900 tons, two of which were royal vessels - Mala Phranakorn and Raokhamsamut - for the use of members of the royal family, and 20 vessels for use by government officials. The rest were merchant vessels.

During the period of King Rama III [r. 1824-1851], maritime trade further increased because the King used to direct the Port Department and was familiar with foreign trade. It was hypothesized that in this period, more war/merchant vessels were built than previously because Thailand declared war with Vietnam. Also, in this period, Thai war vessels were transformed into foreignlike trading vessels.

Later in 1828, King Rama III granted permission to the Governor of Nakhon Si Thammarat to build a modified sailing vessel, 22 meters long and 4.75 meters wide. The bow had a shape of a fish's mouth, the stern had iron plates with openings for paddles on both sides of the vessel for rowing in canals and rivers. Later, senior officials and the tax collectors built 31 more vessels of the same class, with King Pinklao contributing 30 catty (approx. 72,000 baht or $1800) for each vessel.

Important vessels in the period of King Rama III included:

1. Thepkosin, built in 1831, was a royal sailing ship used for international shipping. In 1841, it was used as a warship commanded by Chao Meun Vaivoranat in the war against Vietnam.
2. Amorn Mansawan, a modified sailing ship, 6 meters wide, was built in 1832 by the Governor of Nakhon Si Thammarat to be used as a royal vessel. It took almost seven years to meticulously build the vessel and was used by Phraya Sripipat Ratanarajkosatibodi as a warship to suppress rebels in southern Thailand.
3. Paklan and the first Matchanu vessel, construction date unknown, were logistics ships used in the navy in 1839 to suppress rebels in the South. In 1841, they were used in a war against Vietnam.
4. Kaew Klang Samut (Ariel), built in 1835 in Chanthaburi Province, was the first sailing ship built by a Thai, Luang Naisit (Somdej Chao Phraya Boromaha Sri Suriyawongse),. when he went to help his father build a new town in Chanthaburi. A 110-ton brick ship with six cannons, the ship was used in a war to suppress rebels in the South in 1839.
5. Buddha Amnat (Fairy), built in 1836, was a large 200-ton barge with 10 cannons and was used as a warship commanded by King Pinklao in 1841 when he was a prince during the war in Ha-tien.

King Rama IV [r. 1851-1868] ordered the building of sailing ships as did King Rama Ill. However, only 13 ships were built and procured because they were replaced by steamships, marking the first era of steamships.