Written by D-Mitch
 |
| The lead ship in the class, Naresuan (421), after the upgrade. Via Fb Combat-Zones |
The most advanced and heavily armed surface combatants of the Royal Thai Navy (Thai: กองทัพเรือไทย; rtgs: Kong Thap Ruea Thai)
are two (2) Naresuan class frigates, cooperatively designed by the Royal Thai Navy and China but built by the China State Shipbuilding Corporation in Shanghai the period 1991-94. The two vessels in the class, Naresuan (421) and Taksin (422), were commissioned in December 1994 and October 1995 respectively. The Naresuan class is considered a modified version of the Chinese-made Type 053 frigate. When Thailand ordered four new 053 frigates in 1990, China built them
to the (then) latest 053H2 (Jianghu III) standard. Two were modified
with helicopter decks in the back. Although the price was excellent, the
Thai Navy complained of quality issues. The interior wiring was exposed
and had to be re-wired. The ship's battle damage control system was
very limited, with poor fire-suppression system and water-tight locks.
It's said that if the ship's hull was breached, rapid flooding would lead to loss of ship. The Thai Navy had to spend considerable time and effort to correct some of these issues. The harsh criticisms lead to many improvements in China's
shipbuilding industry. By the mid-1990s, the Thai Navy was confident
enough to order two enlarged 053 hulls (F25T), later named HTMS Naresuan
and HTMS Taksin, to be fitted with western engines and weapon systems. The ships were purchased at "friendship prices" of 2 billion baht each, compared to the 8 billion baht price tag for
Western-built frigates.
