RKS Naresuan (CL-1918)

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The Sanphet (King) Class cruisers were named after rulers of Khmer from the 1600's. While only 20 feet longer than the Shingto class, these ships were much more capable with the twin, power worked, light turrets, carrying the 5.5" guns. The guns, with a 40 degree elevation, were designated low angle weapons. The 40 degree elevation gave a range of 22,000 yards. These are the three cruisers that joined the Seux as part of the 1st Cruiser Squadron when the Aiphaya class were demilitarised to meet the terms of the Washington Treaty.

The 1st Cruiser Squadron was based at Phuket at the top of the Malacca Strait. Their job was to interdict shipping under the Khmer tariff system when they entered the Strait. The ships cargo would be assessed and the appropriate amount levied. Failure to pay would lead to the ship being seized until the tariff was paid. The second part of their duties was to monitor the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The occupants of those Islands were not averse to a bit of piracy if the chance came their way.



The Khmer Navy had designed the light turret to take both the 5.5" used on the cruisers, and to take the 5.1" guns used as secondary armament on the capital ships. Both turrets shared the same barbette size. This allowed the designers the luxury of being able to design the next generation of dual purpose turrets with the same barbette size as the older turrets. It then became a simple refit to replace the old 5.1"/5.5" turrets with the new dual purpose 5.1" twin turrets. Turning the older low angle cruisers into anti-aircraft cruisers.

 

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