The Thai and US navies launched a joint operation today, to search for the remains of five crew missing from the sunken HTMS Sukhothai corvette, to salvage some weaponry and to disable some US-made military equipment.

A US navy ship, the “Ocean Valor”, from the US naval base in Hawaii, and a flotilla of Royal Thai Navy (RTN) vessels, including the Rattanakosin, two mine sweepers, two frigates and one mid-sized troop carrier, 17 American and 40 Thai divers are involved in the operation.

The US navy ship is part of the US military presence in the Cobra Gold military exercise, involving military personnelfrom Thailand, the US and some allies.

Thai and foreign reporters will observe the operation from one of the RTN vessels, which left the port in Bang Saphan district of Prachuap Khiri Khan early this morning. RTN Commander-in-Chief Admiral Adoong Pan-iam will also join the observation team and will answer questions from the reporters.

The task today is for divers take pictures of the ill-fated Sukhothai vessel, which is resting on the sea bed at a depth of about 50 metres, about 20 nautical miles from the coast of Prachuap Khiri Khan.

The Sukhothai corvette sank in the Gulf on the night of December 18th, 2022. Twenty-four naval officers and men were killed and five are still unaccounted for, even after extensive searches.