Battle of Koh Chang - Aftermath

Aftermath

The French left behind them a scene of total devastation. Thonburi was heavily damaged and grounded on a sand bar in the mouth of the Chanthaburi river, with about 20 dead. She was later raised and repaired by the Japanese, survived the war and was used as a training ship until she was retired. The Thai transport HTMS Chang arrived at Ko Chang shortly after the French departed and took Thonburi in tow.

The torpedo boat Chonburi was sunk with a loss of two men and HTMS Songhkla also sank with a loss of fourteen dead. The only survivors were rescued by the torpedo boat HTMS Rayong, the minelayer HTMS Nhong Sarhai and the fishery protection vessel Thiew Uthok. These three ships, which had been sheltering to the north of Ko Chang, wisely chose not to break cover and thus were not observed by the French. The French were elated, for they had inflicted a defeat as decisive in its way as the Japanese at Tsushima.

Their success is all the more notable when the difficulties of navigating and fighting in such confined waters are considered, and given the courage and tenacity which the Thai sailors exhibited during the action, a fact which the French were gracious to accept. In the end, though, it was all for nought — five days later the Japanese government offered to arbitrate in the search for a peaceful settlement, and soon confirmed the Thai annexations. Even this state of affairs did not last for long, as Thailand was invaded later that year during the attacks on Malaya, and was forced to return her short-lived gains to France at the end of World War II.

Thonburi was later raised by Royal Thai Navy. She was repaired in Japan and was used as a training ship until she was decommissioned. Her gun and deck are placed as a memorial in the Royal Thai Naval Academy, Samut Prakan.

During the post-action investigations, it was claimed, on the evidence of sailors and the fisherman around Ko Chang, heavy damage was seen to have been caused to Lamotte-Picquet and her fleet. The report claims the crew of Lamotte-Picquet spent all of the following night repairing the damage.