Phra Chulachomklao Fort

A fort turned museum
By Dararai

Phra Chulachomklao Fort is a historical attraction of Samut Prakan Province (29 km south of Bangkok). It is located on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River on Suksawat Road. The fort is worth visiting as you will get to know another aspect of Thailand besides its cultural and architectural facets.

Statue of King Chulalongkorn

Background of the Fort After King Rama V (King Chulalongkorn, 1868-1910) ascended the throne, he realized that Thailand was at risk from falling prey to European nations hunting for colonies at that time because neighbouring countries like Vietnam and Cambodia were all colonized. He, then commanded to restore existing forts and to build a brand new one at the estuary of the Chao Phraya River.

The new fort construction began in 1884 and was completed in 1893. King Rama V bestowed his name to the fort as "Phra Chulachomklao Fort". Chulachomklao is the official title that the Thais call King Rama V.

Things to see
Phra Chulachomklao Fort features seven cannons which were once state of the art products. Normally, the cannons are hidden in their holes. They are hauled up by the hydro-pneumatics system at the moment of aiming and were lowered to their base after the shot. That is why they are called "Disappearing Carriage" or "Disappearing Guns" in English and "Puen Sua Mop" in Thai, meaning crouching tiger guns.

The cannons were officially fired for the first time in the "Rattanakosin Era Year 112 Incident" to protect Thailand's sovereignty from the French invasion. The event occurred at dusk on 13 July 1893, barely one month after the Chulachomklao Fort was completed. During the engagement, the Disappearing Guns joined six Royal Thai Navy ships in bombarding the French ships "Inconstant" and "Comete" that were attempting to sail up the Chao Phraya River to join the gunship "Lutin" that was already moored in Bangkok.

The exhibition hall

The Disappearing Gun

Even though the "Jean Baptiste Say", a merchant ship acting as their pilot ship was stranded at Lamphurai and both sides sufferred casualties, this defence of the Royal Thai Navy was unsuccessful because of darkness and the inferior military might. In the wake of that incident, Thailand lost the territory on the right bank of the Mekong River, namely Srisophon, Siemrap and Battambong to France. After the "Rattanakosin Era Year 112 Incident", the cannons were never officially fired again up to their decommissioning in 1933. They were neglected and quickly fell into disrepair. In 1991, the guns were cleaned and restored when the Chulachomklao Fort was renovated to prepare for the construction of a statue of King Chulalongkorn. Then, on 12 August 2003, they were fired to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the statue establishment.

The HTMS Mae Klong

Under the statue, there stands an air-conditioned museum exhibiting the military conflict with France. Also on display is the HTMS Mae Klong, an old warship of the Royal Thai Navy preserved as an open-air museum. HTMS Mae Klong was commissioned in 1937. She had been deployed in several missions such as taking part in World War II. The ship also served as a training ship for naval cadets and technical navy students.

She was in service for 59 years, including the prestigious duty as a royal ship for King Rama VIII and King Rama IX (His Majesty King Bhumibol, the present King). The ship was decommissioned in 1996.

• Opening hours: daily 08:00-18:00 hrs.
• Admission: free
• If you need a guide, a request must be made to the fort in advance.
• For more information, please contact the fort, tel: +66 (0) 2475 6109 or + 66 (0) 2475 6259.

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Special thanks to Tourism Authority of Thailand Central Office Region 8 for arranging an enjoyable press tour to Samut Prakan.