HTMS Chakri Naruebet
 HTMS Chakri Naruebet underway in the South China Sea in early 2001
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Thailand | |
| Name | HTMS Chakri Naruebet |
| Namesake | "In honour of the Chakri Dynasty" |
| Ordered | 27 March 1992 |
| Builder | Bazán, Ferrol, Spain |
| Cost | US$336 million |
| Laid down | 12 July 1994 |
| Launched | 20 January 1996 |
| Commissioned | 27 March 1997 |
| Homeport | Sattahip |
| Motto | Occupy The Sky, Occupy The Sea, Chakri Naruebet. (ครองเวหา ครองนที จักรีนฤเบศร) |
| Status | Operational as of 2010 |
| Badge | |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | V/STOL carrier |
| Displacement | 11,486 tons full load |
| Length | list error: <br /> list (help) 182.65 metres (599.2 ft) (overall) 174.1 metres (571 ft) (flight deck) 164.1 metres (538 ft) (between perpendiculars) |
| Beam | list error: <br /> list (help) 22.5 metres (74 ft) (waterline) 30.5 metres (100 ft) maximum |
| Draught | 6.12 metres (20.1 ft) |
| Propulsion | list error: <br /> list (help) 2 x GE LM2500 gas turbines providing 22,125 shaft horsepower (16,499 kW) 2 x Bazán-MTU 16V1163 TB83 diesel engines providing 5,600 brake horsepower (4,200 kW) 2 x shafts with 5-bladed propellers |
| Speed | list error: <br /> list (help) 25.5 knots (47.2 km/h) (maximum) 17.2 knots (31.9 km/h) (cruising) |
| Range | list error: <br /> list (help) 10,000 nautical miles (19,000 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h) 7,150 nautical miles (13,240 km) at 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h) |
| Troops | Up to 675 soldiers |
| Complement | list error: <br /> list (help) 62 officers 393 sailors 146 aircrew |
| Sensors and processing systems | list error: <br /> list (help) Hughes SPS-52C air search radar, E/F band 2 x Kelvin-Hughes 1007 navigational radars |
| Electronic warfare & decoys | list error: <br /> list (help) Decoys: 4 x SBROC decoy launchers SLQ-32 towed decoy |
| Armament | list error: <br /> list (help) 2 x 0.5-inch (13 mm) machine guns 3 x dual Mistral surface-to-air missile launchers |
| Aircraft carried | list error: <br /> list (help) 6-8 AV-8S Matadors 4-6 S-70B Seahawks Up to 14 additional helicopters when required |
| Aviation facilities | list error: <br /> list (help) 174.6-by-27.5-metre (573 by 90 ft) flight deck 12° ski-jump Hangar space for 10 aircraft |
| Notes | list error: <br /> list (help) Equipment fitted for but not with is listed in the article Taken from:[1][2] |
HTMS Chakri Naruebet (Thai จักรีนฤเบศร, meaning "In honour of the Chakri Dynasty")[1] is the flagship of the Royal Thai Navy (RTN), and Thailand's first and only aircraft carrier. Based on the Spanish Navy aircraft carrier Principe de Asturias and constructed by Spanish shipbuilder Bazán, Chakri Naruebet was ordered in 1992, launched in 1996, and commissioned into the RTN in 1997.
The carrier is equipped with an airgroup of helicopters and V/STOL aircrafts, and was intended for patrols and force projection in Thai waters, disaster relief, and amphibious warfare support. However, a lack of funding brought on by the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis means that the carrier has spent much of her career docked at the Sattahip naval base. In 2004, she was assigned with disaster relief missions in the Indian Ocean tsunami in Phuket and nearby islands.[3]
Design
When Typhoon Gay hit Thailand in 1989, the Royal Thai Navy, as the main unit responsible for search and rescue missions found that its ships and aircraft were unable to withstand the rough weather at sea.[citation needed] Moreover, the Royal Thai Navy needed a new, high-technology ship to modernize its fleet.[citation needed]
The original plan was to acquire a 7,800 ton vessel from Bremer Vulcan, but the Thai government cancelled the contract on 22 July 1991.[2] A new contract for a larger warship to be constructed at Bazán's shipyard in Ferrol, Spain, and was signed by the Thai and Spanish governments on 27 March 1992.[2] The proposed vessel was based on the design of the Spanish Navy aircraft carrier Principe de Asturias, which in turn was based on the United States Navy's Sea Control Ship concept.[4][5]
Chakri Naruebet displaces 11,486 tons at full load.[1] The carrier is 164.1 metres (538 ft) long between perpendiculars, and 182.65 metres (599.2 ft) overall.[1] She is 22.5 metres (74 ft) wide at the waterline, with a maximum beam of 30.5 metres (100 ft), and a draught of 6.12 metres (20.1 ft).[1] The warship has a ship's company of 62 officers, 393 sailors, and 146 aircrew.[1] Up to 675 personnel can be transported; commonly soldiers of the Royal Thai Marine Corps.[1][6]
Propelled by a combined diesel or gas (CODOG) system.[1] Each of the two, five-bladed propellers is connected to a Bazán-MTU 16V1163 TB83 diesel engine (providing 5,600 brake horsepower (4,200 kW), used for cruising speed), and a General Electric LM2500 gas turbine (providing 22,125 shaft horsepower (16,499 kW), used to reach top speed for short periods).[1] Chakri Naruebet has a maximum speed of 25.5 knots (47.2 km/h), although she can only reach 17.2 knots (31.9 km/h) with the diesels alone.[1] She has a maximum range of 10,000 nautical miles (19,000 km) with a constant speed of 12 knots (22 km/h), and 7,150 nautical miles (13,240 km) at 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h).[1]
Armament and aircraft
Chakri Naruebet is fitted with two 0.5-inch (13 mm) machine guns, and three Matra Sadral sextuple surface-to-air missile launchers firing Mistral missiles.[2][6] The missile launchers were installed in 2001.[2] The vessel is also fitted for but not with an 8-cell Mark 41 VLS for Sea Sparrow missiles, and four Phalanx close-in weapon systems.[5]
The carrier's standard air group consists of six to eight AV-8S Matador V/STOL aircraft (an export version of the AV-8A Harrier acquired secondhand from the Spanish Navy) and four to six S-70B Seahawk helicopters.[1][4][6] By 1999, only one Matador was operable.[7] Chakri Naruebet is also capable of carrying up to fourteen additional helicopters; a mix of Sikorsky Sea King, Sikorsky S-76, and CH-47 Chinook.[1] There is only enough hangar space for ten aircraft.[2][6]
The flight deck measures 174.6 by 27.5 metres (573 by 90 ft).[2] A 12° ski-jump is fitted to assist the Matadors in taking off.[2] There are two aircraft lifts, each capable of lifting 20 tons.[2]
Sensors and countermeasures
The sensor suite of Chakri Narebet consists of a Hughes SPS-52C air search radar on the E/F band, and two 2 x Kelvin-Hughes 1007 navigational radars.[2] There are provisions to install an SPS-64 surface search radar and a hull-mounted sonar, but neither has been fitted as of 2008.[6][2] Fire control facilities are also yet to be fitted.[2]
The carrier is equipped with four SBROC decoy launchers, and an SLQ-32 towed decoy[6]
Construction
Work on the Thai carrier commenced in October 1993, although it was not until 12 July 1994 that the hull was laid down.[2][5] Chakri Naruebet was launched on 20 January 1996.[5]
Sea trials were conducted from October 1996 to January 1997, the latter part of which was in coordination with the Spanish Navy.[2][5] This was followed by aviation trials at Rota, Spain.[2] The carrier was handed over on 27 March 1997, when she was commissioned into the RTN.[1][2] She arrived in Thai waters at the start of August 1997, and formally entered service on 10 August.[5]
Chakri Naruebet cost US$336 million to build.[7]
Role
Chakri Naruebet is the first aircraft carrier to be operated by a South East Asian nation.[5] She is assigned to the Third Naval Area Command, and her intended duties include operational support of the RTN's amphibious warfare forces, patrols and force projection around Thailand's coastline and economic exclusion zone, diaster relief and humanitarian missions, and search-and-rescue operations.[1][2][5][4][7]
However, at the time the carrier entered service, the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis prevented the necessary funding to operate the ship from being available.[7][5] The limited defensive armament compounded the problem; consequently, Chakri Naruebet is usually only operational for a single day per month, with the rest of the time spent alongside as a "part-time tourist attraction".[1][5][7] The ship rarely leaves the proximity of the Sattahip naval base, and when she does, it is usually to transport and host the Royal Family of Thailand.[1][5] Naval commentators consider Chakri Naruebet to be less an aircraft carrier and more the world's most expensive royal yacht, while the Thai media have nicknamed the ship "Thai-tanic", and consider her to be a white elephant.[5][7]
The ship participated in disaster relief operations following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.[citation needed]
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Werthem (ed.), Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World, p. 772
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Saunders (ed.) Jane's Fighting Ships 2008-2009, p. 786
- ^ "Chakri Nauebet disaster relief missions". Royal Thai Navy.
- ^ a b c Ireland, The Illustrated Guide to Aircraft Carriers of the World, p. 249
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Bishop & Chant, Aircraft Carriers, p. 88
- ^ a b c d e f Bishop & Chant, Aircraft Carriers, p. 89
- ^ a b c d e f Carpenter & Wiencek, Asian Security Handbook 2000, p. 302
References
- Bishop, Chris (2004). Aircraft Carriers: the world's greatest naval vessels and their aircraft. London: MBI. ISBN 0760320055. OCLC 56646560.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - Carpenter, William M. (2000). Asian Security Handbook 2000. M. E. Sharpe. ISBN 9780765607157.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - Ireland, Bernard (2008) [2005]. The Illustrated Guide to Aircraft Carriers of the World. London: Anness Publishing. ISBN 9781844777471. OCLC 156616762.
- Saunders, Stephen (ed.) (2008). Jane's Fighting Ships 2008-2009. Jane's Fighting Ships (111th ed.). Surrey: Jane's Information Group. ISBN 9780710628459. OCLC 225431774.
{{cite book}}:|first=has generic name (help) - Wertheim, Eric, ed. (2007). The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Systems (15th ed.). Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 9781591149552. OCLC 140283156.
External links
Media related to HTMS Chakri Naruebet at Wikimedia Commons