Thailand's Ratanakosin-class corvette HTMS Sukhothai sinks, 31 crew missing

 

Corvette HTMS Sukhothai as it sinks. Photo c/o FleetMon.

The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) confirmed that one of its Ratanakosin-class corvette, the HTMS Sukhothai (FS-442) has sunk in the Gulf of Thailand.

The sinking happened around 11:30pm of 18 December 2022, after the ship suffered water entry after encountering strong waves, listing the ship heavily to starboard and made it unable to recover.

The ship was unable to ump the water out after a power blackout simultaneously happened after the water leak shorted the ship’s electrical systems.

31 of the ship’s crew were reportedly missing as the RTN frigate HTMS Kraburi (FFG-457) rushed to the site to move the distressed crew. Search for the missing crew has been ongoing since the ship sank.

The HTMS Sukhothai is one of seven corvettes in service with the RTN, and is the second ship of the Ratanakosin-class.

It was built in the United States by Tacoma Boatbuilding in Washington, was launched on 20 July 1986, and commissioned with the RTN on 19 February 1987.

The ship is armed with a 76mm/62 caliber Oto Melara gun, a 40mm/70 caliber Bofors twin-barrel cannons, two 20mm Oerlikon guns, eight Harpoon anti-ship missiles, an Albatross octuple surface-to-air missile launcher for the MBDA Aspide missile, and six torpedo tubes for lightweight anti-submarine torpedoes.




[1] Atlas News
[2] Maritime Bulletin
[3] FleetMon