Navy says making a “reckless” choice worsened a falling horror brought on by a surprise rupture and a rough seas.
PUBLISHED: 9 Apr 2024 at 21: 50
The HTMS Sukhothai’s chief announced on Tuesday that he would step down from the army to demonstrate his responsibility for the 2022 sinking that claimed 29 life.
The drama was caused by rough seas and unanticipated punctures, according to the Royal Thai Navy, as well as by Capt. Phichitchai Thueannadee’s “reckless” decision to dock the coupe at the closest port.
The military said at a press conference held to release the findings of its research into the event that the captain would be confined for 15 weeks but never experience a civil complaint.
24 officers and men were killed when the HTMS Sukhothai sank in the Gulf of Thailand on December 18, 2022, off Prachuap Khiri Khan territory. Five are also unsolved and presumed to be deceased.
The navy’s commander-in-chief, Adm. Adung Pan-Iam, stated in a press conference that the coupe could withstand waves up to 2.5 meters. The cruiser was departing from Chon Buri Naval Base in Chon Buri to Chumphon province when the waves on December 18, 2022 were surprisingly high, reaching an elevation of up to six meters.
The storm break in front of a 76mm gun tower on the cruiser, according to Navy officials, was damaged by strong waves. A one-square-inch tear on the vessel’s steel deck was also caused by the broken wave breaker.
An unidentified huge and difficult object struck the gun turret, which likewise caused damage to the gun turret. Water entered the vehicle through an opening in the ruined tower.
Additionally, two fractures in the remaining gunwale were discovered after an investigation were made about five feet above the ordinary water level. The impacts of external and unexplained objects were the cause of the ruptures, which had nothing to do with any fused components of the cruiser. The fractures totaled 80 flat feet in total.
Because of the rough seas and lack of available tugboats, the chief decided to dock the ship at the local Bang Saphan interface in Prachuap Khiri Khan province, according to the navy.
At that time, the captain was aware of the ruined wave breaker. With the intention of saving the ship, he so decided to return the cruiser to Sattahip despite the fact that it was far away. The captain had no intention of causing the vessel to fall, but the investigation found that the commander’s choice to transfer the ship to Sattahip was foolish.
Police in Bang Saphan may consider whether criminal prosecution of the chief is necessary even though Capt. Phichitchai do not encounter a civil complaint.
According to Adm Adung, salvaging the whole sunken coupe from its 50-meter depth would be too expensive and success amounted to a sham.
Capt Phichitchai apologised for the occurrence and claimed that he and all other crew members on board had tried their hardest to deal with the excessive circumstance.
He claimed that he made the decision to return the ship to Sattahip because it was n’t listed at the time, but the weather eventually got worse.
Capt Phichitchai Thueannadee, the captain of the HTMS Sukhothai, attends the Royal Thai Navy’s media conference on Tuesday. ( Photo: Wassana Nanuam )