Poulet's Fotothing

Thai Royal Navy Museum
Naval Historical Park Fort Phra Chulachomklao.
Samutprakarn province, The Kingdom of Thailand. 1/7

Unlike her neighbors, Thailand is the only country in this region that never came under European colonial rule, always maintaining her independence though at times coming under foreign influence. One of the trappings of an independent nation is a navy to “show the flag,” and in 1862 Siam (as she was then known) entered the age of steam by purchasing a small yacht in Germany. Five more steam-powered warships were bought in France in 1865, and some of these craft would continue in service until the early years of the next century.