|
Thailand Royal Thai Navy
Although Thailand had small naval components throughout much
of its long history, the development of a modern navy capable of
carrying out combat missions dated from the post-World War II
period. Thereafter, the size and efficiency of the Royal Thai
Navy increased steadily. Of the three service branches, the navy
was the least involved in national politics and therefore was
able to concentrate more of its time and efforts on its security
mission.
Naval affairs were directed by the country's most senior
admiral from his Bangkok headquarters. The naval commander in
chief was supported by staff groups that planned and administered
such activities as logistics, education and training, and various
special services. The headquarters general staff functioned like
those of corresponding staffs in the army and air force command
structures.
The navy's combat forces included the Royal Fleet and the
Royal Thai Marine Corps. The latter was organized into two
regiments composed of one artillery battalion, six infantry
battalions, and one amphibious assault battalion; a light tank
battalion was also proposed. The 130 vessels of the Royal Fleet
included frigates equipped with surface-to-air missiles, fast
attack craft armed with surface-to-surface missiles, large
coastal patrol craft, coastal minelayers, coastal minesweepers,
landing craft, and training ships (see
table 18, Appendix). In
addition, a small naval air component flew a modest inventory of
helicopters and light aircraft in reconnaissance, patrol,
antisubmarine warfare, and search-and-rescue missions. Major
operational bases for the fleet, the marines, and the air units
were the naval stations in Bangkok and Songkhla and the major
naval bases at Sattahip and Ban Pak Nam.
In 1977 the government began construction of a new naval base
in Ban Thap Mo District of Phangnga Province facing the Andaman
Sea and approaches to the southern region. The new Phangnga naval
base, completed by 1983, had a large steel-reinforced concrete
wharf, dockyard, arsenal, living quarters for naval personnel,
and other military facilities. The new base gave the Thai navy a
modest but much-needed operations and support facility on the
west coast of the Isthmus of Kra.
Data as of September 1987
|
