Admiral Prince Abhakara Kiartivongse, Prince of Chumphon , was the 28th child of King Chulalongkorn. He was commonly reveared as "The Father of our Thai Navy". Being born to a non-royal mother, he could not become king. Initiating the naval force in Thailand, Prince Ap-hakon was highly praised amongst Thai as "Sadej Tia", "Mor Phon". The Thai Royal Navy officially announced his title as "the Father of our Thai Navy" in 1993. There are 217 shrines and memorials built to honour him around Thailand. The most famous of which is the Prince of Chumphon Shrine at Hat Ree in Chumphon Province, where he recuperated and rehabilitated from his diseases, before his death on 19 May 1923.
Career
Traveling with his son, Rama V had noticed that this boy was good in navigation. So the king decided to send the prince to England to study naval science. Upon his return to Siam in 1900 the prince began to work with a lot of enthusiasm – he was appointed commander of a ship and his mind was busy with ideas how to develop Royal Siamese navy in order to achieve the highest level, at least on the level of western navies. He was sent to study naval warfare in England. He returned to Siam to serve in the creation of Royal Siamese Navy and contributed significantly to the advancement and modernization of the navy. In 1922 he saw that Sattahip Bay was a strategic place for the establishment of a naval base and offered royal land in Sattahip in order to build the present-day naval facilities. In honor of his contributions, the prince was proclaimed "The father of the Royal Thai Navy". The Royal Prince Admiral went to England to personally negotiate the purchase of the Phra Ruang destroyer, one of the early ships of the Royal Thai Navy and to command the ship during its subsequent voyage home. Prince Abhakara Kiartivongse also had muay Thai skills. During King Vajiravudh's reign, he trained many muay Thai boxers, mostly of these turned into named boxer trainers of each provinces. In addition to his career in navy, Prince Abhakara studied medicine. He was particularly interested in the use of herbal medicine in treating his patients.
Death
Not long after being honoured to the title "commander in chief, Admiral and Father" of the Siamese Navy, Abhakara left the office for his health and travelled to Monthon Surat for a month. He rehabilitated from his congenital and chronic diseases at Hat Ree beach in Chumphon province. After his accidental exposure to a cold rain, he was infected with influenza, which worsened his health condition sharply. The Prince Admiral Abhakara died at the age of 42, on 19 May 1923, 11 40 am. Royal Thai Navy marks 19 May annually as the "Abhakara Memorial Day".
