A Royal Thai Navy warship sank in the Gulf of Thailand off the coast of Prachuap Khiri Khan on Sunday night.
Navy spokesman Pokkrong Monthatphalin said the corvette HTMS Sukhothai sank at around 11.30pm after it ran into high waves and capsized off the coast of Prachuap Khiri Khan province. On Monday afternoon (19th December), the Thailand Maritime Enforcement Command Centre reported that of the 31 missing crew members, 10 had been found with one deceased in what is reported as the first sinking of a Thai navy ship in modern history.
The ship was on its way to attend a commemorative event to mark the 100th anniversary of the death of the force’s founder, Prince Abhakara Kiartivongse, in Chonburi province, Vice Adm. Pokkrong said.
About 20 nautical miles out to sea, the vessel encountered choppy waters which disabled its engines. Water began to gush into the ship as the pumps went down, forcing it to list and within hours fully submerged the ship.
Photos circulated on social media shows sailors clinging to railings as the ship dipped its side at a stark angle into the sea.
The Ratanakosin-class corvette was built in the U.S. and commissioned in 1987. The class is armed with anti-ship missiles, surface-to-air missiles, naval guns, and torpedoes for anti-submarine and patrol missions, according to the navy.
The last known loss of a Thai navy ship took place during the World War II in 1945, when the replenishment ship HTMS Samui was torpedoed by an American submarine off the Malaysian coast, killing 31 sailors.
