Koh Chang Naval Battle Memorial

This memorial marks the southeast Koh Chang shoreline where the Royal Thai Navy fought the January 1941 Battle of Ko Chang, part of the short Franco-Thai War. It sits in Koh Chang Tai subdistrict near Salak Phet Bay, on the island itself rather than at the larger mainland memorial complex most guides describe.

On 17 January 1941, a three-ship Thai squadron, the coastal defense vessel HTMS Thonburi and the torpedo boats HTMS Songkhla and HTMS Chonburi, was caught in these waters by a stronger French flotilla built around the cruiser Lamotte-Picquet. Thonburi was disabled by fire and ran aground; Songkhla and Chonburi were sunk. Thirty-six Thai sailors died defending the squadron. The engagement is remembered less for its outcome than for the crews’ refusal to withdraw against a heavier force, and it’s why 17 January is now marked nationwide as Royal Thai Navy Memorial Day.

The memorial itself is a modest marker and plaques recounting the battle, facing out toward the water where the ships went down. It’s a quiet, contemplative stop rather than a full exhibition, set among the fishing village atmosphere of Salak Phet rather than a purpose-built visitor complex. That’s a real difference from the memorial most travel write-ups describe: the larger Yutthanawi Memorial Monument, with its warship-styled museum building and a statue of Prince Abhakara Kiartivongse (Krom Luang Chumphon, considered the father of the modern Thai Navy), stands across the water at Laem Ngop on the mainland, not on the island.

Watch out: If you’re after the full museum experience, artifacts, and the ship-shaped building, that’s the Laem Ngop site on the mainland near the Trat ferry piers, not this location. Confirm which one you’re heading to before setting out.

Insider Tip: Combine the visit with Salak Phet village itself, a working fishing community on stilts over the bay, rather than treating the memorial as a standalone stop.

Both sites host remembrance activities on 17 January each year, including wreath-floating ceremonies tied to the Royal Thai Navy. Outside that date, this is a low-key visit: expect fifteen to twenty minutes at the marker itself, with no entry fee and no crowds.

For the wider island, start at the Koh Chang hub page. Nearby, Ban Salak Khok Community shares the same southeast subdistrict, and Laem Ngop Viewpoint covers the mainland gateway where ferries and the larger memorial complex are based.