SUKHOTHAI

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Commander of Sukhothai will resign his commission from the navy

The commander of the HTMS 'Sukhothai' said on April 9 that he will resign his commission from the navy, accepting responsibility for the corvette’s sinking. The Royal Thai Navy blamed the catastrophe on Captain Phichitchai Thueannadee’s “reckless” decision not to dock the corvette at the nearest port, as well as heavy waves and unforeseen punctures. The captain would be detained for 15 days but would not face a civil lawsuit. The corvette could resist wave heights of up to 2.5 metres. However, on Dec 18, 2022, the waves were unusually high, reaching up to six metres as the corvette traveled from the Sattahip Naval Base in Chon Buri to Chumphon province. Heavy waves destroyed the wave breaker in front of the corvette’s 76mm gun turret. The dislodged wave breaker also created a one-square-inch rupture in the vessel’s steel deck. An unnamed heavy and hard item also struck the gun turret, causing damage. The damaged turret also featured a hole that allowed water inside the vessel. An inspection also revealed two ruptures in the left gunwale, approximately five feet above the typical water level. The ruptures were produced by exterior and unidentified items, and had nothing to do with the corvette’s welded parts. The ruptures encompassed a total area of 80 square inches. The commander did not dock the vessel at the adjacent Bang Saphan port in Prachuap Khiri Khan province due to strong waves and a lack of tugboats to enable safe docking. He was unaware of the damages, and as a result, he decided to return the corvette back to Sattahip, despite the distance, in order to save the ship. The Royal Thai Navy investigation determined that his choice to return it to Sattahip was imprudent. The Bang Saphan police would examine criminal charges againsthim. Phichitchai apologized and stated that he and other crew aboard the corvette did their best to deal with the situation, which proved to be unmanageable. He stated that he opted to return the corvette to Sattahip because it was not listing at the moment, but weather conditions worsened later. Report with photos: https://www.chiangraitimes.com/news/navy-captain-of-sunken-navy-warship-resigns/#google_vignette

Retrieved items transferred to Sattahip Naval Base

All 58 retrieved items of the 'Sukothai' were transferred to the Juk Samet Port at the Sattahip Naval Base aboard the 'Ocean Valor' on March 12 for urther investigations. It could take at least a mongth to retrieve the frigate's CCTV footage. Four missions were conducted during the salvage oeperation which was wrapped up on March 11, including finding the remains of five crew members, investigating the ship's mechanics, disarming weapons and retrieving sentimental items. All divers, after conducting a total of 82 dives oor 67 hours and 53 minutes underwater, were safe. The divers had been divided into two teams. The first consisted of 14 divers, seven each from the RTN and US Navy, who dove with surface supply air quipment and used the 'Ocean Valor' as base. The other consisted of 40 scuba divers from the RTN with the HTMS 'Mannai' as base. The operation kicked off on Feb 22 as part of the US Navy's Cobra Gold joint exercise, 36,9 kilometers from the shore in the Bang Sapah district. Reports wiht photos: https://www.thephuketnews.com/sukhothai-salvage-operation-ends-memorial-planned-91582.php https://maritime-executive.com/index.php/article/search-of-lost-thai-navy-frigate-ends-without-finding-missing-crew

Five crew members remained missing as dive mission ended

As a 19-day salvage mission at the HTMS 'Sukothai' came to a conclusion on March 11, the bodies of five missing crew members remained missing. The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) joined with its US counterpart to find the missing crew members. Admiral Chatchai Thongsaard, Commander in Chief of the Royal Thai Fleet, said the joint mission begun on Feb 22 had resulted in the salvage of 58 items of physical evidence, including a CCTV camera recording device. The items should help in determining the cause of the ship’s sinking. The RTN expected to announce the cause of the ship’s sinking within a month. The new evidence should be sufficient to draw a conclusion without having to raise the whole ship from the seabed. Divers from the RTN and the US Navy, who were in Thailand to join this year’s Cobra Gold military exercise, had explored every accessible room and cabin of the ship without finding the bodies the five missing crew members. The search included the ship’s bridge, command centre room, commander’s room, radio room, ward room, engine room, radar room, chart room, and hallways. The diving crews were successful in decommissioning three armaments on the ship, namely harpoon guided missiles, torpedoes, and communication devices. Two 22-millimetre guns and 10 rifles brought ashore for the Naval Ordnance Department to inspect. Divers also brought up 11 objects of sentimental value from the ship, namely 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 commander. Report with photos: https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40036301