Krom Luang Chumphon Khet Udomsak Shrine

A statue of Admiral Prince Abhakara Kiartivongse — Krom Luang Chumphon Khet Udomsak, credited as the founder of the modern Royal Thai Navy — sits inside a shrine built in the shape of a warship on a hill above Hat Sai Ri beach in Chumphon. Thais know him as “Sadet Tia” (the Father) and, for the folk medicine he practised among local villagers, as “Mor Phrom” — Doctor Phrom. The hilltop shrine looks out over Sai Ri Beach and the bay toward Koh Maprao.

Below the new shrine stands the older building, marking the spot where the Prince died and drawing many of the complex’s most devoted visitors. A short walk away, a mondop houses a statue of Luang Pu Suk, a monk closely associated with the Prince during his lifetime and still revered alongside him. The Mo Phon Herb Garden, a Ministry of Public Health project near the entrance, grows medicinal plants in tribute to the Prince’s own herbal remedies — continuing the “Doctor Phrom” story as a living garden rather than just a plaque.

The most striking single exhibit sits down on the beach itself: HTMS Chumphon, a 68-metre, 6.55-metre-wide torpedo boat that served the Royal Thai Navy for 37 years before its decommissioning on 26 November 1975. The Navy presented the vessel to Chumphon province in 1979, and it now sits half-embedded in concrete at Hat Sai Ri as a permanent memorial — visitors can walk aboard and see the deck and hull up close, something not possible with most retired naval vessels.

Most Thai visitors come to make merit or pray for safety at sea, particularly fishing families and anyone connected to the navy; the shrine draws a steady stream of visitors rather than large crowds, and the hilltop setting keeps it breezy even in the hot season. Parking is available both below the old shrine, for those who want to walk up, and at the top near the new shrine.

Insider Tip: Time a visit for late afternoon — the hill catches the sea breeze and gives a clear view over Hat Sai Ri as the light softens, without the midday heat of the open hilltop.

The shrine sits right above Hat Sai Ri itself, and The Chumporn National Museum in Mueang Chumphon covers more of the province’s history if you want to extend the trip.