Thread: HTMS Sukhothai reported sunk in Gulf of Thailand

Originally Posted by taxexile

so is it the case that the captain managed to find his way into a lifeboat whilst many of his crew perished whilst trapped aboard the vessel as it sank?

Thaitanic.

the captain of the titanic remained aboard as it sank, however it would appear that the fearless thai captain managed to hop into a lifeboat with the "women and children" whilst his crew drowned.

and apart from todays news item about his silly message in the bkk post, i cant find any other mention of him, but it would be interesting to know exactly the sequence of events that led to him surviving whilst his crew drowned.

Originally Posted by taxexile

the captain of the titanic remained aboard as it sank, however it would appear that the fearless thai captain managed to hop into a lifeboat with the "women and children" whilst his crew drowned.

Yes, hence my rather stale 'Thaitanic' quip. Quite the difference between the two.

The captain doesn't have to go down with the ship, that is a misnomer and not a 'law'. What this means is that he/she should be the last person off the ship.
In this case, however, he was probably the first.

Navy divers search sunken HTMS Sukhothai for missing crew

A team of 53 navy divers and medical personnel dove down to the sunken HTMS Sukhothai today (Sunday), to find out whether any of the missing crew members are trapped in the ship.


Captain Pongsak Ramnut, chief of the diving and demolition division of the Naval Ordnance Department, led the mission. Before the mission, he said that all the divers had been warned not to dive too close to the sunken ship, because it is unstable and could move if struck by a strong current.


All divers, he added, were told to take their own safety as their first priority, because the Royal Thai Navy does not want to see any further loss of life.


The sunken ship rests at a depth of about 40 metres, off Bang Saphan district of Prachuap Khiri Khan. Sea conditions remain rough and the currents are strong, which could pose problems for the divers, he said.


The search for missing crew continues for the seventh day today and the focus has now turned to the area around the site of the sunken vessel, where eight bodies have been recovered in the past two days, leaving 14 still unaccounted for.


Captain Pongsak said that, if there is an update on the search operation, he would inform the public.


Relatives of missing crew are still anxiously waiting for the return of their loved ones in Bang Saphan district, where a search operations centre was set up.

Navy divers search sunken HTMS Sukhothai for missing crew | Thai PBS World : The latest Thai news in English, News Headlines, World News and News Broadcasts in both Thai and English. We bring Thailand to the world

Originally Posted by panama hat

What this means is that he/she should be the last person off the ship

...or 'they'



#NonBinaryLivesMatter

Fair call, Loops.

#NonBinaryLivesMatter
#GenderFluidLivesMatter

From Bangkok Insight - sonar images of the HTMS Sukhothai

Bangkok Post has current numbers as 18 confirmed dead, 11 missing.

ThaiRath has it different and seems to be more up to date, stating there are 3 bodies awaiting identification - one crewman and two naval officers, with a further 8 missing.

The most recent eight bodies recovered will be returned to their families at Sattahip tomorrow.

3 more bodies, possibly from HTMS Sukhothai, recovered on Wednesday

Three more bodies, believed to be those of missing HMTS Sukhothai crew, were recovered from the sea today (Wednesday), according to Royal Thai Navy (RTN) Spokesman Admiral Pokkrong Monthatphalin.


He said that the number of bodies found has increased to 24, with 20 of them in the process of being identified, while the number of crew still missing has dropped to five.


This morning, Vice Admiral Pichai Lorchusakul, commander of the First Naval Area Command, said that one body was found drifting at sea near Samet Island and it was recovered by a Fisheries Department vessel, adding that it is believed to be one of the missing crew because of what he was wearing.


The bodies of ten crew members, who have gone through the identification process, were flown from Prachuap Khiri Khan’s 5th air wing in a C130 transport plane to U-Tapao airbase in Chon Buri Province this afternoon, for a Royally-sponsored bathing rite at the crematorium of the Royal Thai Navy at 5pm.


The religious ceremony was presided over by the RTN commander-in-chief Admiral Choengchai Chomchoengpaet.


Meanwhile, the father of one of a deceased crew member has demanded an apology from the RTN over the tragedy.


Pol Cpt Somboon Esa, the father of Petty Officer Second Class Saharath, said he would like to hear the word “sorry” from naval officer or officers over the ship’s loss and the deaths of many crew members, including his son.


He said that there are several questions which are yet to be answered.


Somboon also said that, for the past several days, the commander of the First Naval Area Command, Vice Admiral Pichai Lorchusakul, has been the only naval officer to give updates on the search operations on daily basis, despite the fact that he was not on the ill-fated ship.


“The person who knows the most about what happened to the ship is its captain. I would like to hear from him, even though I have already forgiven him,” said Somboon.

3 more bodies, possibly from HTMS Sukhothai, recovered on Wednesday | Thai PBS World : The latest Thai news in English, News Headlines, World News and News Broadcasts in both Thai and English. We bring Thailand to the world

Somboon also said that, for the past several days, the commander of the First Naval Area Command, Vice Admiral Pichai Lorchusakul, has been the only naval officer to give updates on the search operations on daily basis, despite the fact that he was not on the ill-fated ship.

“The person who knows the most about what happened to the ship is its captain. I would like to hear from him, even though I have already forgiven him,” said Somboon.

^
that.

He’s probably still polishing his draft account of the incident that exculpates him and doesn’t tarnish the inestimable reputation of the navy and Thailand.

Originally Posted by misskit

“The person who knows the most about what happened to the ship is its captain. I would like to hear from him, even though I have already forgiven him,” said Somboon.

In the American Navy, there would be a court-martial hearing for the captain in order to determine what happened during the loss of the ship. I'm guessing the Thai navy works on the "Oh, I'm sorry." though.

As long as they wai

Chief engineer not on board the ill-fated Sukhothai navy vessel

The ill-fated HTMS Sukhothai set sail into rough seas heading for Chumphon on December 18th without its chief engineer, Vice Admiral Pichai Lorchusakul, commander of the First Naval Area Command, told the media on yesterday (Saturday).


He said that the ship normally had a complement of 106, but the chief engineer, who he declined to name, had business to attend to onshore and was not aboard HTMS Sukhothai on December 18th adding. If the chief engineer is absent, his deputy takes charge of overseeing the ship’s engines, he explained.


He also said that the captain of the ship, whose name has alsonot been disclosed, will be the person questioned about the loss of the vessel by the Royal Thai Navy’s investigators.


The ship was on its way to participate in the 100th birthday celebrations of Admiral Prince Abhakara Kiartivongse, or Prince of Chumphon, the Father of the Thai Navy, scheduled on December 19th.


By yesterday, 24 missing crew have been recovered, 23 of whom have been identified. Five others are still unaccounted for and are the subjects of active searches, said Vice Admiral Pichai.


A Navy SEAL team has joined the search, focusing on surface and undersea searches around the islands off Chumphon province. Foot patrols have scoured the coastline from Bang Saphan district in Prachuap Khiri Khan down to Ban Don Bay in Surat Thani, he said.


Admiral Chonlathit Navanukraw, the naval chief-of-staff, admitted that searching in the open sea is difficult, but the RTN will continue the search and he hopes there may be survivors among the missing five.

Chief engineer not on board the ill-fated Sukhothai navy vessel | Thai PBS World : The latest Thai news in English, News Headlines, World News and News Broadcasts in both Thai and English. We bring Thailand to the world

No update on the salvage operation yet

Search ongoing for 5 missing sailors
Families of 23 dead sailors compensated
PUBLISHED : 4 JAN 2023 AT 06:02

The navy is continuing its search for the last five missing crew members from the corvette HTMS Sukhothai, 17 days after the ship sank.

Navy chief Adm Choengchai Chomchoengpaet, senior navy officers and the Thai Navy Wives Association invited the families of the 23 crew members who died in the tragedy to present them with their compensation on Tuesday.

Adm Choengchai also gave an update on the investigation and said that two teams would investigate the tragedy.


One team will focus on the cause of the ship's sinking, while another will focus on the rescue efforts.

More at BP link

Navy to Expand Search Area for Missing Sailors

BANGKOK (NNT) - The Royal Thai Navy will expand its search for the remaining five missing crew members of HMTS Sukhothai to islets and islands in Surat Thani province.


Navy spokesman Adm Pokkrong Monthatpalin has disclosed that the search operation teams have completed their search in Chumphon province and are proceeding south to search for the missing crew members in Surat Thani province.


The spokesperson also assured that the navy would provide compensation to the families of the deceased as soon as possible out of concern for their well-being. He explained that the compensation would come from funds and insurance plans belonging to each victim, as well as donations from the business sector.


Meanwhile, the navy held royally-sponsored cremations for two crew members on Wednesday afternoon at Wat Sri Wano Padsathit in Rayong province. One was for Chief Petty Officer First Class Kunakorn Jariyayot, or Mor Champ, the hero who saved three crew members but lost his life in the process as he selflessly went back out to sea to look for other crew members.


The HMTS Sukhothai sank on December 18 while patrolling in rough seas in Bang Saphan district in Prachuap Khiri Khan province. As of Wednesday, 76 of the 105 crew members had been rescued, 24 others had been found dead, and five crews were still missing.

Navy to Expand Search Area for Missing Sailors

Originally Posted by misskit

The Royal Thai Navy will expand its search for the remaining five missing crew members of HMTS Sukhothai to islets and islands in Surat Thani province.

Fair nuff but I may have missed it but have divers been inside the sunken ship? Highly possible some of the missing were trapped inside.

Some large backhanders and commissions involved in this one...

Thai Navy to call for private sector bids to salvage sunken HTMS Sukhothai
January 6, 2023

The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) is to call for bids from private companies, specialised in recovering sunken ships, to salvage HTMS Sukhothai, which foundered in rough seas off Bang Saphan district of Prachuap Khiri Khan on December 18th.



Admiral Adung Phan-iam, commander of the Royal Thai Fleet, said yesterday (Thursday) that naval officers are now engaged in assessing the damage to the corvette-class ship,using many images taken from a submersible, and are developing plans to salvage the sunken ship, before seekingapproval for the salvage operation and budget needed fromAdmiral Choengchai Chomchoengpaet, the RTN’scommander-in-chief.

He said that the Naval Dockyard Department has been tasked with overseeing the salvage operation, adding that he expects a bidding process can be held in 1-2 weeks.

The admiral said that, whether the ship will be repaired or not,after it is salvaged, will depend on the damage to the ship and whether it is worth repairing.

I just hope they re-float the vessel before they start pumping it out

Originally Posted by Norton

Highly possible some of the missing were trapped inside.

It is. I thought they'd be doing a 'cave boy' type rescue mission within the first 24 hours but it seems they didn't, unless I missed it. They either couldn't or couldn't be bothered.

Originally Posted by malmomike77

I just hope they re-float the vessel before they start pumping it out

The other way round would be much more fun.

Thai navy asks fishing associations to help search for HTMS Sukhothai crew

The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) has sought cooperation from fishing associations and private rescue groups in the search for the last five crew, missing from the ill-fated HTMS Sukhothai, as the search enters its 22nd day today (Monday), RTN Spokesman Admiral Pokkrong Monthatphalin told the media.


He said that RTN search teams, including foot patrols, are now concentrating on the beaches and rock formations on and around several islands in the Gulf of Thailand.


The search last night was on Samet Island, off Chumphon Province, where many para rubber planks were found after a cargo ship containing the lumber sank about two miles off Chaiya district of Surat Thani, as it was on its way to Laem Chabang deep-sea port in Chon Buri on December 18th, the same day that the Sukhothai foundered.


Admiral Pokkrong said the search yesterday failed to find any of the missing crew adding, however, that the search will continue and the RTN will keep the public informed of progress.


There was a complement of 105 crew on board HTMS Sukhothai, minus the chief engineer. 76 crew members were rescued. 24 were found dead, with one yet to be identified, and five are still unaccounted for.

Thai navy asks fishing associations to help search for HTMS Sukhothai crew | Thai PBS World : The latest Thai news in English, News Headlines, World News and News Broadcasts in both Thai and English. We bring Thailand to the world

฿100m needed to salvage the sunken HTMS Sukhothai

The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) is going to need about 100 million baht to raise the sunken HTMS Sukhothai from the bottom of the Gulf of Thailand and 12 suitably equipped companies have offered to undertake the work.


A well-informed naval source said that Admiral Adung Phan-iam, the commander of the RTN fleet, had instructed the committee selecting the qualified company to speed up the selection process.


The source said that one of the conditions set by the RTN for the salvage operation is that the ship must be recovered in its present shape without being cut into sections.


HTMS Sukhothai, with 105 crew on board, foundered in rough seas off the coast of Bang Saphan district of Prachuap Khiri Khan on the night of December 18th. 76 were rescued, 24 were later found dead and five remain missing. The search for them continues.


RTN search teams scoured 33 locations in the Gulf yesterday (Wednesday), including Ko Khai in Pathio district of Chumphon Province, but found no trace of the missing crew.


The father of one of those still missing told the search teams that he hopes the remains of his son, Petty Officer Third Class Sophon Wongsanit, will be recovered.


The RTN and Prachuap Port Company held a religious ceremony at the port yesterday, to bless the souls of the lost crew.

฿100m needed to salvage the sunken HTMS Sukhothai | Thai PBS World : The latest Thai news in English, News Headlines, World News and News Broadcasts in both Thai and English. We bring Thailand to the world