The commander of the HTMS Sukhothai said on Tuesday that he would resign from the navy to show his responsibility for the 2022 sinking that took 29 lives.
The Royal Thai Navy said a “reckless” decision by Capt Phichitchai Thueannadee not to dock the corvette at the nearest port contributed to the tragedy, as did rough seas and unexpected punctures.
The commander would be confined for 15 days but would not face a civil lawsuit, the navy said at a press conference held to announce the results of its investigation into the incident.
The HTMS Sukhothai sank in the Gulf of Thailand off Prachuap Khiri Khan province on the night of Dec 18, 2022, resulting in the deaths of 24 officers and men. Five are still unaccounted for and presumed dead.
Adm Adung Pan-Iam, the navy commander-in-chief, told a press conference at the Navy Auditorium that the corvette was capable of withstanding wave heights of up to 2.5 metres. However, the waves on Dec 18, 2022, were unexpectedly high at up to six metres while the corvette was travelling from the Sattahip Naval Base in Chon Buri to Chumphon province.
Navy officials said powerful waves damaged the wave breaker in front of a 76mm gun turret on the corvette. The dislocated wave breaker also caused a one-square-inch rupture on the steel deck of the vessel.
The gun turret was also damaged by the impact of an unidentified large and hard object. The damaged turret also had an opening that let water into the vessel.
An investigation also found two ruptures in the left gunwale about five feet above the normal water level. The ruptures were caused by the impacts of exterior and unidentified objects and had nothing to do with any welded part of the corvette. The ruptures covered a combined area of 80 square inches.
The commander did not dock the vessel at the nearby Bang Saphan port in Prachuap Khiri Khan province because the seas were rough and there was no tugboat available to ensure safe docking, the navy said.
At that time, the commander was unaware of the damaged wave breaker. Therefore, he decided to bring the corvette back to Sattahip even though it was far away, with an intention to save the ship. The investigation found that while the commander had no intention to cause the vessel to sink, the decision to return the vessel to Sattahip was reckless.
While Capt Phichitchai would not face a civil lawsuit, police in Bang Saphan would consider if criminal action against the commander is warranted.
Salvaging the entire sunken corvette from its 50-metre depth would be too costly and success was not guaranteed, Adm Adung said.
Capt Phichitchai apologised for the incident and said he and all personnel aboard the corvette had done their best to cope with the situation, which turned out to be uncontrollable.
He said he decided to bring the vessel back to Sattahip because it was not listing at the time, but weather conditions subsequently worsened.
HTMS Sukhothai commander Capt Phichitchai Thueannadee attends the press conference held by the Royal Thai Navy on Tuesday. (Photo: Wassana Nanuam)