Commander of sunken HTMS Sukhothai resigns as RTN unveils investigation findings

The US-built warship went down in heavy seas off the coast of Prachuap Khiri Khan in the Gulf of Thailand on December 18, 2022.

Twenty-four sailors died in the sinking while five others remain missing, presumed dead, in one of the largest losses in Thai naval history.

At Tuesday’s press briefing, Navy commander-in-chief Admiral Adung Phan-iam said the investigation found that the sinking was caused by a combination of wear and tear on the ship after 36 years of service, extreme weather, and misjudgement by the ship’s commander, Pichitchai Tuannadee.

Present at the event, Pichitchai resigned from the Navy. The RTN said he would not be punished or sued for damages as his mistakes were unintentional.

Adung began the briefing by extending his condolences to families of the dead and missing sailors. He said the RTN had deployed its full resources in the search-rescue mission, with compensation provided to victims’ families, posthumous promotions granted, and opportunities for their relatives to serve in the Navy.

The RTN had decided it was too dangerous to salvage the entire ship and was unable to find contractors capable of completing such a mission, he added.

Instead, the RTN had cooperated with the US Navy to decommission US-made armaments and equipment on the ship at no cost.

The limited salvage mission had collected evidence including CCTV footage and items of sentimental value from the ship, but there was no sign of the five missing personnel, Adung said.

Holes found in ship

RTN officials then screened a video on the causes of the ship’s sinking as per the Navy investigation.

It said extreme weather conditions including strong winds and waves of up to 6 metres had made the ship – which is designed to withstand waves of up to 2.5 metres – difficult to control. A dark night with cloudy skies and limited visibility had also hampered rescue efforts.

The sinking resulted from seawater entering the vessel at two possible points: from the bottom of the ship, causing it to lose buoyancy, or from the top above the vessel's centre of gravity, causing it to tilt.

Investigators also found that damage at the following five locations may have allowed water to enter and destabilise the ship:

1. The wave deflector plate on the 76mm cannon collapsed due to strong waves, opening a hole of about one square inch.

2. Further damage to the 76mm cannon due to impact from an unknown solid object, leaving a hole on the gun that allowed water to enter.

3. Two holes were found on the ship’s port (left) side, about 5 feet above the waterline, pierced by unknown solid objects. The holes were about one foot long and 3-4 inches wide.

4. The door of the ship’s rope room was not secured, possibly allowing water to enter.

5. The rear door of the gun bay room for the 76mm cannon could not be closed tightly.

Life jackets in sealed equipment room

Vice Admiral Surasak Singhkhornwa, who headed the investigation, said interviews with HTMS Sukhothai crewmembers indicated the ship was seaworthy for its fateful last voyage from Chonburi to Chumphon.

He said all repairs were completed to RTN’s Dockyard Department standards during the ship’s last overhaul in 2021.

He added that the ship had sufficient life jackets, with 120 sets for the 105 crew on board. Previous media reports have suggested that a shortage of life jackets contributed to the death toll.

Surasak said the ship’s commander had given the order three times for crew to don life jackets. However, the equipment room door was sealed to prevent water from entering the vessel, so some sailors could not retrieve jackets.

He added that the Sukhothai was equipped with six life rafts, three on each side. Only two rafts on the right side were manually released during the incident, but all rafts automatically released from their stations as the ship sank.

The ship was carrying 75 crew out of its capacity of 100 to make room for 30 personnel from the Royal Thai Marine Corps and Air and Coastal Defence Command who were travelling to Chomphun for a Navy event.

Fateful decision

Surasak added that the commander was unaware that the 76mm cannon’s wave deflector had collapsed when he decided to turn back to Chonburi’s Sattahip Naval Base amid the storm instead of heading to the closer Bang Saphan Port in Prachuap Khiri Khan.

“The investigating committee concluded that the sinking of HTMS Sukhothai was not intentional on the part of the ship's commander or onboard personnel, but rather due to sudden and severe weather that caused the vessel to experience abnormal conditions and water to enter the hull through pierced holes,” said Surasak.

“However, the commander’s decision to return the ship to Sattahip, despite the longer distance, was made hastily and without thorough consideration, resulted in further damage. It was therefore concluded that the sinking of HTMS Sukhothai was partly due to actions of personnel involved.”

Commander Pichitchai expressed his condolences to the families of the dead sailors but insisted that he and his crew had done all they could to avert disaster on the night of the sinking.

“As the ship's commander, I take responsibility for the events that transpired. I willingly accept any punishment from the 1st Naval Area Command and related authorities,” he said.

“I also hereby resign from the Navy, which I consider my home, to show accountability for the incident and to uphold the honour of the commander position of HTMS Sukhothai.”

He added that the investigation had uncovered the full truth of the sinking with no evidence omitted or altered.

MPs vow independent probe

Move Forward MPs Jirat Thongsuwan and Chayaphon Satondee said they would present the RTN’s report to Parliament’s ad hoc committee on military affairs and seek an independent investigation by lawmakers.

Chayaphon noted the RTN’s investigation committee lacked participation from the Navy Inspector General’s Department. He also questioned why the Royal Thai Fleet Command, which is responsible for ship maintenance, had not been held accountable by the investigation.