page_title: Coastal defence ship
section_title: Thailand
hierarchical_section_title: Coastal defence ship / Operators / Thailand
caption_attribution_description: English: HTMS Thonburi in Yokohama on 12 September 1938
context_page_description: Coastal defence ships were warships built for the purpose of coastal defence, mostly during the period from 1860 to 1920. They were small, often cruiser-sized warships that sacrificed speed and range for armour and armament. They were usually attractive to nations that either could not afford full-sized battleships or could be satisfied by specially designed shallow-draft vessels capable of littoral operations close to their own shores. The Nordic countries and Thailand found them particularly appropriate for their island-dotted coastal waters. Some vessels had limited blue-water capabilities; others operated in rivers.
  The coastal defence ships differed from earlier monitors by having a higher freeboard and usually possessing both higher speed and a secondary armament; some examples also mounted casemated guns. They varied in size from around 1,500 tons to 8,000 tons.
  Their construction and appearance was often that of miniaturized pre-dreadnought battleships.
context_section_description: Ratanakosin class
  Ratanakosin
  Sukhothai
  Thonburi class (1938)
  HTMS Sri Ayudhya
  HTMS Thonburi
caption: Thonburi in 1938
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