RKS Mueang (CLA-1933)
The Mueang (Castle) class went back to the smaller 'light'
cruiser that Khmer preferred to build. Six or more light cruisers could be built
for the same cost as the three Worawongsathirat type. The new dual purpose
weapons were coming on stream and these would be the first cruisers designed to
have the DP guns from new. In a change of layout the Mueang class would have
three turrets forward and two aft. A reverse of the previous Khmer classes with
five turrets. Like the Dido and Atlanta classes, having so much weight forward
created its own problems. Rated at 32 knots, the only time that could be
achieved was in a flat calm. Any sort of seaway and the speed dropped like a
stone as the bow plunged in and out of the waves. The front end of the ship was
a fireball waiting to happen. The 5.1"/130mm twin turret guns fired at 10 rounds
per minute. Normal number of shells carried was 110 per gun in other ships. In
an air attack the guns could go through that sort of stock in ten minutes.
Leaving the ship undefended. The other point to the ammunition is that being the
main armament, a number of the shells will need to be armour or semi-armour
piercing shells to take on other warships. So a load of shells for each gun
might be 40-50 SAP, 180-190 AA, then some starshells and any other specialised
shells. The AA shells could be used as High Explosive ordnance. So about 250
rounds per gun. Large magazines required.
Once the deficiencies of the three forward armament was found it
was decided that follow on classes with five turrets would revert to the three
aft configuration. The only way to recover buoyancy forward was to completely
remove 'C' turret and all of its ammunition train. A twin 40mm was fitted in its
place. Because of the closeness to topweight issues that the class had. Every
time something was added, something else had to be taken away.
The quad 40mm weapon system became available and to mount a pair the torpedoes
had to be removed. The removal of the 'C' turret allowed for a second pair of
40mm to be mounted. These ships should have had a full set of Radar systems for
sea and air search. The topweight issues meant that only the air search Radar
were fitted as being the ships prime directive.
| Displacement | 6,500 tons standard, 7,450 tons full load | |
| Length | 517 ft | |
| Breadth | 54 ft | |
| Draught | 18 ft | |
| Machinery | 2 shaft, steam turbines, 60,000shp | |
| Speed | 32 knots | |
| Range | 6000 miles at 10 knots | |
| Armour | 2" side, 1" deck, 1" turrets | |
| Armament | 10 x 5.1" (5x2) 14 x 25mm mod 1928 (14x1) |
8 x 5.1" DP (4x2) 18 x 40mm (4x4, 1x2) 14 x 25mm mod 1938 (14x1) |
| Torpedoes | 6 x 21" (2x3) | removed 1940 |
| Complement | 390 | 410 |
| Notes | RKS Mueang RKS Suriyat RKS Bhumibol RKS Songtham RKS Amata RKS Mahaburut |
|
Amata Castle.
