Rojak #76: The Fate of the Sukhothai

HTMS Sukhothai. Source: John Bouvia/National Archives

Apologies for being a day late with this month’s edition of the Rojak. I compile these stories throughout the month but when it came to the time to publish it, I simply… forgot. It doesn’t help that I’m just back in the office this week and I have been pretty busy catching up on lost emails and an ever-growing queue of tasks. Nonetheless, I have a good list of stories lined up, of things that are not related to archaeology or Southeast Asia but also are.

We start off with the ongoing salvage mission of the HTMS Sukhothai, which sunk in the Gulf of Thailand on December 2022. In a move to address the aftermath of a maritime tragedy, the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) and the US Navy initiated a joint salvage operation for the sunken corvette. This Royal Thai Navy had originally intended to organise a salvage mission on its own, but after it was reported that a China-based commercial company would be involved, the US Navy stepped in. Presumably, because the Sukhothai was refitted US vessel, there was an prior agreement as to how such salvage operations would be undertaken. Tangentially, the US has maintained a claim to all its shipwrecks regardless of where and when it sunk, which has broad implications for the salvage and even underwater archaeology of US shipwrecks anywhere in the world.

The current salvage mission, part of the broader Cobra Gold military exercise, represents a scaled-back approach from the RTN's initial plans to recover the entire ship, deemed too costly. Instead, the focus shifted to retrieving specific armaments, personal items of significance to the RTN, and neutralizing explosives. The operation also involves a search for the bodies of crew members who remain missing, presumed dead, adding a human dimension to the mission's objectives.

The logistical efforts for the salvage operation are substantial, involving multiple vessels from the RTN, including HTMS Bang Rachan and HTMS Mannai, along with press coverage to ensure transparency and public engagement. Admiral Adung's presence and leadership on-site, alongside US Navy counterparts on the MV Ocean Valor, highlight the collaborative spirit and operational complexity of the mission. Daily briefings to the media from HTMS Ang Thong serve to keep the public informed, underscoring the operation's significance to both Thailand and the United States.

Among the discoveries during the operation so far were a Buddha sculpture and several documents, retrieved by divers from near the primary engine's hatch. These items, alongside the ship's nameplate and two Harpoon anti-ship missiles, were recovered as part of the effort to investigate the cause of the sinking and pay homage to the lost crew members. Despite the recovery of these items, the RTN has yet to determine the cause of the accident or assign responsibility, leaving lingering questions about the tragic event that claimed 24 lives and left five unaccounted for.

Here’s a rundown on the stories, in chronological order:

• The Navy to reopen bidding for salvage of sunken HTMS Sukhothai next month

• US warns Thai navy over HTMS Sukhothai salvage

• Navy cancels winning bid for salvage of HTMS Sukhothai

• US NAVY AND THAILAND WILL EXPLORE HTMS SUKHOTHAI DURING THE COBRA GOLD

• HTMS Sukhothai: Search for bodies, armaments to begin on Feb 21

• THAI-US NAVIES FOCUS ON HTMS SUKHOTHAI MISSING PERSONS

• Thai and US navies set to begin joint salvage operation to recover HTMS Sukhothai off Prachuap Khiri Khan coast

• HTMS Sukhothai salvage mission to start this week

• Salvage mission yields ‘Sukhothai’ nameplate

• HTMS Sukhothai salvage to take 19 days, says RTN Commander

• Thai, US navies begin limited recovery mission of HTMS Sukhothai

• Buddha sculpture found in Thai-US navy salvage operation of sunken HTMS Sukhothai

• Salvage mission retrieves HTMS Sukhothai’s nameplate

• Harpoon missiles salvaged from sunken Sukhothai corvette

That’s just the starting bites from this month’s edition of the Rojak. We have a menagerie of weird down below, including a story about karmic justice, and monkeys adapting to Covid-19 by using stone tools. The Rojak is a bonus newsletter for my supporters and paid subscribers. It is named after an exotic salad found in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, which (usually) comes out on the first Wednesday of the month. Thank you for reading, and no ships were wrecked (by me!) during the making of this newsletter.