Divers retrieve the nameplate of ill-fated 'HTMS Sukhothai'
The salvage crew of the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) and its US counterpart on Friday (February 23) successfully recovered the metal nameplate of "HTMS Sukhothai", a US-built corvette ship that went down in the Gulf of Thailand in December 2022.
The limited salvage mission started on Thursday off the coast of Prachuap Khiri Khan province. The mission was initially unsuccessful in retrieving the ship’s nameplate as the divers had only 45 minutes to work underwater, while most of the ship’s surface was covered with barnacles from being under water for nearly two years.
According to RTN officials, the mission continued on Friday and comprised four diving trips. The first two trips were aimed at surveying the ship's exterior and retrieval of its nameplate. The divers succeeded in their mission in the morning and brought the nameplate of the HTMS Sukhothai up from the seabed for the first time.
The last two trips, to be resumed in the afternoon, will explore damage to the ship’s prow, seal doors, and Aspide missile launcher at the ship’s tail.
The RTN-US navy joint mission, scheduled until March 14, will cover the search for the bodies of five crew from HTMS Sukhothai still missing and presumed dead.
The divers are to also retrieve certain armaments and objects that are emotionally valuable for the RTN, as well as defuse and neutralise explosives.
The US-built HTMS Sukhothai, commissioned by the Thai Navy in June 1987, sank during a storm off Prachuap Khiri Khan province on December 18, 2022.
High winds and strong waves caused seawater to flood the warship, leading to engine failure. Of the 105 crew on board, 76 were rescued, 24 were found dead and five are missing, presumed dead.
