HTMS Nakha, which has been decommissioned after six decades of service under three nations’ flags, is heading for the United States to serve as a historic showpiece in a naval museum.

His Thai Majesty's Ship (HTMS) Nakha, which was built 62 years ago, is the only naval ship of that age still serving and one of only two of that age known to exist.

Navy commander-in-chief Admiral Sathiraphan Keyanont officially handed over the vessel to a US custodian yesterday in a ceremony at Sattahip Naval Base in Chon Buri.

The vessel is in excellent condition and very similar to its original configuration as a Landing Craft Support (LCS) 102. It was built on March 13, 1945, and later classified as USS LSSL-102 after it was modified on February 28, 1949.

The handover of the vessel was initiated by the National Association of USS LCS (L) 1-130, which was founded in 1987 by Jeff Jeffers and fellow American veterans who served on LCS vessels. The association's request was approved by the US and Thai governments.

Admiral Sathiraphan said the US Navy and the association had promised to keep the name HTMS Nakha in honour of His Majesty and the cordial ties between the US and Thailand.

Nakha, named by His Majesty after an island off Phuket, served the Thai Navy from October 4, 1966, as part of its Amphibious Landing Fleet. It was captained by 42 different officers before it was decommissioned on October 4, 2006.

Among its captains were eventual Navy commanders Admiral Wichet Karunyawanich and Admiral Surawuth Maharom.

The LCS vessels performed all-purpose duties, ranging from their major role as platforms for fire support for troops landing on beaches against an entrenched enemy to minor roles such as air defence, radar picket duty and fire fighting.

HTMS Nakha, with the Thai Navy serial number of 751, had the most lethal armaments of its class during World War II and its 40-year service under the Thai flag.

LCS vessels were referred to as "gun carriers" and "mighty midgets" by US sailors fighting in the Pacific against the Japanese.

They saw heavy combat and one had a place in history as the vessel that took General Douglas MacArthur, the supreme commander of US forces in the Pacific, back to the Phillipines after the Americans retook it from the Japanese, according to Captain Bruce Watson, a naval attache with the US embassy who attended yesterday's ceremony.

HTMS Nakha is 47.4 metres long and seven metres wide, with a displacement of 387 tonnes. Its maximum speed of 12 knots is made possible by two diesel engines. LCS vessels had a range of 5,500 miles.

The original designation for the ships was LCS (L)(3), which stood for Landing Craft Support (Large, Mark 3). In 1949, the class was reclassified to LSSL (Landing Ship Support, Large).

HTMS Nakha was used for 13 years by the Japanese Navy before being modified and handed over to the Thai Navy on August 29, 1966.

The ship will be towed to Hong Kong and loaded on to a cargo ship for the journey to San Francisco, where it will be put on display at Mare Island Naval Shipyard.

Thasong Asvasena

The Nation