The three Liu Song class were slowly being cannibalised for parts that would be useful for ships, new and existing. The three ships mounted 30x7.6" guns in single turrets and casemates. All thirty guns were removed and refurbished, fitted into triple turrets for placement on two new ships. These would be large cruisers and because of their size, only a few years later, they would have to be included in Khmers Capital ship tonnage allocation or be scrapped. The Khmer Navy classed the ships as battlecruisers where they were more akin to the previous armoured cruiser type.
These ships were cruiser killers. None of the cruisers built or under construction at the end of WW1 could stand against these ships. Even some of the older battlecruisers would be in trouble. The sheer firepower of the fifteen 7.6" guns, firing at four to five rounds per minute, gave a deluge of armour piercing shells at the other end. The triple turrets had an elevation of 28 degrees with a range of 27,000 yards, firing 220 pound shells. For the first time on a Khmer ship a flying boat aircraft was carried amidships. The aircraft could only be used in calm to moderate seas, as it needed to be winched overboard, where it would take off and land on the sea. The secondary armament was a new 5.1"/130mm low angle guns in single mountings. The same gun would be fitted to other ships being built during the early 1920's to 1930's when newer dual purpose weapons would be built.
The 1941 refit added the first electronic aids with air search radar being added fore and aft. Within six months surface search radar and director assist radar was added. 1941 was also the first four twin 40mm mounts being added as the license purchased from Bofors came into service. Previous refits had added twin dual purpose 5.1" turrets in place of the previous low angle single mountings. A catapult was fitted during the 1930's to make the aircraft more useful. It was the upgraded Gun directors that really helped with the accuracy and hitting power of the fifteen main guns.
