13-3-2024 (BANGKOK) The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) announced that the bodies of five missing crew members remain unaccounted for from the ill-fated HTMS Sukhothai corvette. The joint mission, undertaken in collaboration with the United States Navy, sought to recover critical evidence and the remains of those lost when the vessel sank in the Gulf of Thailand in December 2022.
Admiral Chatchai Thongsaard, Commander in Chief of the Royal Thai Fleet, revealed that the extensive search, which commenced on February 22, yielded the recovery of 58 items of physical evidence, including a crucial CCTV camera recording device. These findings, he stated, should aid in determining the precise cause of the ship’s sinking, with the RTN expected to announce their conclusions within a month.
Significantly, Chatchai expressed confidence that the newly acquired evidence would be sufficient to draw a definitive conclusion, potentially negating the need to raise the entire ship from the seabed, a monumental undertaking in itself.
The exhaustive search conducted by divers from both the RTN and the US Navy, who were in Thailand for the annual Cobra Gold military exercise, left no accessible area of the vessel unexplored. From the ship’s bridge and command center to the engine room and hallways, every effort was made to locate the missing crew members.
In addition to the search and recovery efforts, the diving crews successfully decommissioned three armaments on board – harpoon guided missiles, torpedoes, and communication devices. Furthermore, two 22-millimeter guns and 10 rifles were brought ashore for inspection by the Naval Ordnance Department.
The operation also held sentimental significance, as divers retrieved 11 objects of historical and cultural value from the sunken vessel. These included the ship’s nameplate, a Garuda statuette, a Buddha statuette, a portrait of King Taksin, a low relief of the Prince of Chumphon, the ship’s bell, an RTN flag, a mast, an anchor, the ship’s commission plate, and the nameplate of the ship’s commander.
Admiral Chatchai affirmed that no injuries were sustained by the divers or personnel involved in the salvage mission, a testament to the professionalism and dedication exhibited throughout the operation.
The HTMS Sukhothai, a US-built corvette commissioned by the Thai Navy in June 1987, tragically sank during a storm off Prachuap Khiri Khan province on December 18, 2022. High winds and strong waves caused seawater to flood the warship, resulting in engine failure. Of the 105 crew on board, 76 were rescued, 24 were found deceased, and the remaining five were listed as missing, presumed dead.
As the salvage mission draws to a close, the Royal Thai Navy is left to grapple with the loss of their comrades while vowing to uncover the truth behind the tragic incident that claimed the lives of 29 sailors.
