relaying information to their air forces at Chantaboun. [[File:Diorama shown inside HTMS Thonburi during the Battle of Koh Chang (2).jpg|left|thumb|Reproduction scene of the HTMS Thonburi'''s bridge during the Battle of Ko Chang, National Memorial, Lam Luk Ka District, Pathum Thani Province]] At 06:38, lookouts on the Lamotte-Picquet spotted the coastal defence ship heading northwest, at a range of . A running battle began, with the fire of both ships frequently blocked by the towering islets. The fire from the Thai ship was heavy, but inaccurate. By 07:15, fires could be seen on the HTMS Thonburi, which then found herself engaging not only by the cruiser but also the sloops. At the beginning of the engagement, a lucky shot from the Lamotte-Picquet killed the captain of the Thonburi, Commander Luang Phrom Viraphan, and disrupted her operations. Believing they had a better chance of hurting the smaller French ships, the Thais shifted their fire onto the Amiral Charner, which soon found 8-inch (203 mm) salvoes falling around her. The Thonburi shifted fire back to the Lamotte-Picquet after a salvo from the French cruiser put her aft turret out of action. She soon reached the safety of shallow water, which the French ships could not enter for fear of grounding, but the Thonburi was already burning fiercely and listing heavily to starboard. Her remaining turret was jammed and could not fire unless the manoeuvres of the ship put it in an appropriate position. At 07:50, the Lamotte-Picquet fired a final salvo of torpedoes at , but lost sight of the Thonburi behind an island from which she was not seen to emerge. At 08:40, Bérenger ordered the squadron to head for home, but this coincided with the start of the expected Thai air attacks. Thai planes dropped several bombs close to the Lamotte-Picquet and scored one direct hit; however, the bomb failed to explode. The Lamotte-Picquets anti-aircraft guns put up a vigorous barrage and further attacks were not pressed home. The final raid occurred at 09:40, after which the French squadron returned to Saigon. Aftermath The French left behind them a scene of total devastation. The Thonburi was heavily damaged and grounded on a sand bar in the mouth of the Chanthaburi river, with about 20 dead. The Thai transport HTMS Chang arrived at Ko Chang shortly after the French departed and took the Thonburi in tow, before purposefully running her aground again