Everything About the Sinking of Thai Warship HTMS Sukhothai That is Known So Far

By
Chloe Tan
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Have you seen this viral picture on social media?

This is the Royal Thai Navy warship HTMS Sukhothai, which sank in the Gulf of Thailand amidst intense weather on the night of 18 December.

Here’s everything we know so far.

31 Out Of 106 Sailors Missing

There are many reports with conflicting numbers, but according to this tweet by the Royal Thai Navy’s official Twitter account, they clarified that 75 of 106 sailors were rescued.

According to their update at 1 pm on 19 December, 31 sailors were still missing, and a search operation was being held. 3 of the rescued sailors are reportedly in severe condition.

11 of the rescued were treated at a local hospital while another 40 were taken to a shelter.

 How Did the Ship Sink?

A statement from the Thai Navy revealed that intense winds caused the ship to tilt sharply, which allowed seawater to flow into the ship via an exhaust pipe.

The seawater ended up shutting down the ship’s electrical system, causing the entire ship to lose power. The sailors thus could not manoeuvre the ship or pump out the seawater in its hull.

When help arrived from other vessels, attempts to transfer pumps to Sukhothai failed. This led the ship to continue tilting even more, and it eventually sank at 11:30 pm. It sank about 20 miles from the port in Central Thailand’s Bang Saphan district.

Rescue Operations 

The Royal Thai Navy dispatched three other ships for the rescue operation, namely HTMS Bhumibol Adulyadej, HTMS Kraburi, and HTMS Angthong. Two helicopters were also sent to help with the operation.

Amongst the ships, only HTMS Kraburi reached the HTMS Sukhothai before it sank. It managed to evacuate 78 sailors.

Despite multiple ships and helicopters searching for the missing sailors, the severe weather continued till late 19 December morning, which limited search efforts.

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How Old Was The Sukhothai?

The Sukhothai was built in the United States and started operating in the Thai Navy in 1987. This means that the ship was 35 years old.

The Sukhothai was equipped with missiles, naval guns, and torpedoes. It reportedly weighed 960 tons, which equates to 870897 kilogrammes.

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Featured Image: Twitter (Royal Thai Navy)

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Chloe Tan
Email: [email protected]