Watch: US And Thailand Navy Team Up To Retrieve The Sunken Corvette, HTMS Sukhothai

The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) and the United States Navy (USN) are currently conducting a cooperative recovery effort for the sunken corvette HTMS Sukhothai, which went down tragically in late 2022. The initiative is part of the Cobra Gold 2024 exercise, which runs from February 27 to March 10, and aims to bring closure to the families and friends of the lost sailors.

The HTMS Sukhothai sank on December 18, 2022, after meeting extreme weather conditions about 20 miles off Bang Saphan, Thailand. Strong winds and waves caused engine failure as seawater entered a side exhaust pipe, resulting in a blackout and flooding. Despite rescue efforts, the vessel overturned and sank, killing 24 crew members and leaving another five missing at sea.

ผู้บัญชาการทหารเรือ ตรวจเยี่ยมการปฏิบัติการค้นหาและปลดวัตถุอันตรายเรือหลวงสุโขทัยบนเรือ Ocean Valor บริเวณอ่าวไทยใกล้จุดที่เรือหลวงสุโขทัยอับปาง ในพื้นที่อำเภอบางสะพาน จังหวัดประจวบคีรีขันธ์ #เรือหลวงสุโขทัย #กู้เรือหลวง #กู้เรือ #cobragold2024 #ทหารเรือ #ราชนาวี #ข่าววันนี้ pic.twitter.com/PlG8EUwBfb

— กองทัพเรือ ROYAL THAI NAVY (@prroyalthainavy) February 22, 2024

Video Credits: Royal Thai Navy/Twitter

The Thai government’s initial attempts to lift the wreck were financially expensive. Instead, the emphasis switched to retrieving further remains from the site and removing the ship’s weapons, ammunition, and potentially hazardous materials.

In coordination with the US Navy, a Royal Thai Navy team sailed on the US-chartered diving support vessel Ocean Valor to conduct the recovery operation. The American salvage crew, which moved equipment from Hawaii to Singapore, assisted with the task at no expense to the Thai government. The initial phase includes recording the wreck’s interior and exterior to assist in the investigation and search for the remaining missing sailors. This phase is expected to last roughly five days.

ผู้บัญชาการทหารเรือ ตรวจเยี่ยมการปฏิบัติการค้นหาและปลดวัตถุอันตรายเรือหลวงสุโขทัยบนเรือ Ocean Valor บริเวณอ่าวไทยใกล้จุดที่เรือหลวงสุโขทัยอับปาง ในพื้นที่อำเภอบางสะพาน จังหวัดประจวบคีรีขันธ์ #เรือหลวงสุโขทัย #กู้เรือหลวง #กู้เรือ #cobragold2024 #ทหารเรือ #ราชนาวี #ข่าววันนี้ pic.twitter.com/XAellIYfXh

— กองทัพเรือ ROYAL THAI NAVY (@prroyalthainavy) February 22, 2024

Video Credits: Royal Thai Navy/Twitter

Following the documentation phase, efforts will shift to retrieve the vessel’s weapons, defuse or neutralise explosive munitions, and dispose of hazardous materials. Divers will also try to recover objects of historical or sentimental importance from the wreck. The secondary phase is projected to last 14 days.

Admiral Adung Phan-iam, the RTN commander-in-chief, emphasised the mission’s focus on finding the missing crew’s remains, eliminating armaments, and rescuing valuable goods. The salvage effort demonstrates the Thai and US warships’ longstanding camaraderie and collaboration, developed over decades of cooperative training and operations.

Reference: The Star

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