KUALA LUMPUR – The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) has deployed its assets in a search-and-rescue mission for 31 sailors after one of its corvettes sank in the Gulf of Thailand at 10.30pm local time last night due to loss of power and the ship’s subsequent flooding amid strong waves.
According to a statement issued by RTN, HTMS Sukhothai (FS-442) was on patrol 20 miles (32km) from its port in Bang Saphon district, central Thailand, when it suffered catastrophic damage due to strong waves.
The waves, RTN tweeted, caused water to seep through the vessel’s electrical systems, triggering losses in power and ship control. This caused water to enter the ship’s hull resulting in the vessel tilting.
According to RTN tweets – which also posted photos and videos of the incident the same night – it dispatched the frigates HTMS Bhumibol Adulyadej (FFG-471) and HTMS Kraburi (FFG-457), landing platform dock HTMS Angthong (LPD-791), and two RTN helicopters to assist the stricken Sukhothai.
Despite only the Kraburi being close enough to reach the scene before the ship sank, strong winds and waves prevented recovery efforts.
RTN further tweeted that the Kraburi managed to rescue 75 of the 106 crew onboard the Sukhothai.
It is learnt that 31 of the ship’s crew were forced to abandon the Sukhothai and still remain in the water, with at least three of them in critical condition.
The Sukhothai was one of two Ratanakosin-class corvettes built in the United States by the now-closed Tacoma Boatbuilding Company and was commissioned in 1987. – The Vibes, December 19, 2022
