Thai ship sinks in the Gulf off Prachuap - all aboard are safe but some media report injuries and missing

[chang1]

As someone who was a marine engineer in the 80s, I find the explanation a little odd.

The funnel is normally one of the furthest parts from the sea and the water seems calm in the photos and video. The ship had moved a few miles from where it was disabled so the storm had probably passed by the time rescuers arrived. This still leaves the question of how water can get into the engine room through the "exhaust". I would expect the ventilation ducts are far more likely to be the problem. These would be able to channel water to the generators if the ship was hit by a freak wave. 

The results of the investigation will be interesting.

[moe666]

1 hour ago, kingstonkid said:

Reading everything here I am going to Hypothesize.

 

The Comander of the boat had never had to deal with an emergency and probably had never practiced emergency drills

 

The Engine room had not done the proper care and maintenance for an antique.

 

There had to be a hatch that had not been closed properly.

 

Add all this together and the fact that most people in Thailand think that maintenance is something you do when something breaks you can see the problems.

 

The result is that a few good men have lost their lives, and Their families have lost a loved one and in most cases the breadwinner.  The country has lost some good men that wanted to do a good thing get an education and be part of the country.

 

Unfortunately until they open the ship up to allow divers we will never really know what has happened.

 

RIP

 

How do you know they do not do maintanece have you ever been on a Thai Navy ship or for that matter any Navey ship of any kind. The usual Thai bashers who have no real knowlwdge except setting on a bar stool

[moe666]

4 minutes ago, chang1 said:

As someone who was a marine engineer in the 80s, I find the explanation a little odd.

The funnel is normally one of the furthest parts from the sea and the water seems calm in the photos and video. The ship had moved a few miles from where it was disabled so the storm had probably passed by the time rescuers arrived. This still leaves the question of how water can get into the engine room through the "exhaust". I would expect the ventilation ducts are far more likely to be the problem. These would be able to channel water to the generators if the ship was hit by a freak wave. 

The results of the investigation will be interesting.

Could have been combustion air intakes for the engines they are usually lower than the stacks for exhaust. That is my 26 years US Navy experience. It could have been a once a year big wave that happens on ocassion. 

[VocalNeal]

5 minutes ago, moe666 said:

Could have been combustion air intakes for the engines they are usually lower than the stacks for exhaust.

Could be.???? I my experience engines draw their air from inside the engine room and not directly from outside. Some engine rooms being pressurized with alarm that sounds if a door is left open.

Then we could ask why the vessel was not sailing into the wind and/or sea. Why was it beam on?

Stranger things happen at sea.

[Cake Monster]

Hardly a North Sea " Hoolie "

[paul1804]

4 hours ago, Peabody said:

Aren't the exhausts usually way up high? Did they just put a muffler sticking out the transom, like an automobile?

 

It probably had wet exhausts ( below water line ) or maybe even just above so I guess if the exhausts were corroded that would allow water to enter the hull. If the exhausts blew out badly then a lot of water would enter quite quickly and given Thai maintenance standards that could be very likely!! 

[phetphet]

5 hours ago, Kenny202 said:

These ships are designed for battle and the most extreme of conditions. Boats don't just list and fill with water for no reason, even in the heaviest of seas. I'm guessing they left out the bit it ran aground or hit something.  I mean how could you? ????????????

Or inadvertently opened a scuttle valve.

But to be serious, was the weather really that bad to  sink a naval ship that must have been built  to withstand some serious storms?

[paul1804]

18 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

Could be.???? I my experience engines draw their air from inside the engine room and not directly from outside. Some engine rooms being pressurized with alarm that sounds if a door is left open.

Then we could ask why the vessel was not sailing into the wind and/or sea. Why was it beam on?

Stranger things happen at sea.

Well if it lost power and or listed really badly given the sea conditions it would be quite a task to keep it pointing into the wind ( direction of waves ) After loosing generator power they would have no chance in the conditions in the Gulf last night and no generator means no pumps sufficient enough to cope with a huge water intake. There should be an engine driven pump also but with Thai mainetance standards were they serviceable?? Mother nature can be cruel on those with incompetence !!

[Mad mick]

At the end of the day or days lets hope all Naval crew ++ are OK or found if lost at sea ????

[newnative]

Watched the video. The waves don't look that bad at all.  Likely another reason the ship sunk.

[VocalNeal]

11 minutes ago, paul1804 said:

Well if it lost power and or listed really badly given the sea conditions it would be quite a task to keep it pointing into the wind ( direction of waves ) After loosing generator power they would have no chance in the conditions in the Gulf last night and no generator means no pumps sufficient enough to cope with a huge water intake. There should be an engine driven pump also but with Thai mainetance standards were they serviceable?? Mother nature can be cruel on those with incompetence !!

Sorry, for the uninitiated. It should have been sailing into the weather before becoming swamped. Original article said the water caused the loss of electrics not the other way around. 

[nickmondo]

Im ex Royal Navy.

Sinking a naval ship in a peacetime situation takes some doing.

But nothing the Thai Navy is not absolutely capable of.............

I hope the crew members are all safe.

[007 RED]

I just watched a short video on BBC World News concerning the sinking of this ship.  The video showed the ship listing heavily on its port (left) side.  The video looked as though it was taken from a rescue helicopter's FLIR unit.

 

I have taken a screen shot (below) from the video.  I would seriously question what looks to be possible damage midships below the water line.

 

If this is damage, then that would explain why the ship initially listed  to the starboard (right) side as water flooded into the lower compartments and then the swell pushed it over to the port side as seen above.

 

[Mansell]

That is not a small warship. One wonders of the size of the waves they were dealing with. Having been in the Royal Navy and through two hurricanes, the second in the Atlantic with 70 foot waves aboard a frigate. We just sailed straight into the waves at just enough speed to make progress……not a fun time. There was another frigate with us and a sailor got washed overboard, he should never have been on the upper deck. Because the risk was to great for us to turn, or the other frigate, mainly because those size waves would roll us over if we caught one wrong and the ship would sink immediately. An auto inflating life-raft was thrown overboard and he was wearing a life jacket, but his chances of seeing or getting to it was slim to none….there was also very high winds. With the US Coast Guard planes searching for him, we turned back after the hurricane dissipated. We found the life raft, but nobody in it.

 

The captain of this corvette should have been steering straight into the waves at a reduced speed. Seems a bit strange that water entered the air vents for the engine room as they are usually facing towards the stern. When you are in that kind of weather the ship should be completely battened down.

Very sad if sailors have lost their lives. Another part of the equation is it was night, that makes everything much trickier. Nobody likes seeing a ship sinking warship or merchant marine. I doubt we will actually find out what happened, maybe swept under the rug.

[soalbundy]

She seemed like a nice ship.

[bangon04]

1 hour ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

More first class Thai reporting.

obviously the ones "on deck" were easily saved. The ones below deck were more difficult to get at...

 

The news reports say that 106 crew were on board. Online sources for this class of corvette suggest that the normal crew is 15 officers and 72 enlisted .  

 

So the extra 19 "crew" were maybe extra generals/admirals along for the ride???

[mrfill]

Latest reports state there are still 31 missing after more than 12 hours

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-64023249?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA

[poyai111]

5 hours ago, Peabody said:

Aren't the exhausts usually way up high? Did they just put a muffler sticking out the transom, like an automobile?

 

Usually an S bend suffices in locking out an ingress of seawater - an airlock if you will. I'm guessing she sprung a leak and the bilge pumps were overwhelmed 

[Hammerite]

Whatever the reason for this disaster, please spare a thought for the families and loved ones of the 31 missing sailors, who likely were at no fault themselves.

Many families around the world who have lost loved ones st sea will know the hymn 

"For those in peril on the sea"

Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bid'st the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
O hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea.

[PETERTHEEATER]

6 hours ago, Peabody said:

Aren't the exhausts usually way up high? Did they just put a muffler sticking out the transom, like an automobile?

 

I think it had a combination diesl/gas turbine propulsion system. The exhaust from the gas turbine would be large diameter compared to diesel. The ship was Chinese built .........????

 

 

 

[smiggley]

Maybe this is why the armed forces need a bigger budget, for more training not useless subs.

[billd766]

6 minutes ago, PETERTHEEATER said:

I think it had a combination diesl/gas turbine propulsion system. The exhaust from the gas turbine would be large diameter compared to diesel. The ship was Chinese built .........????

 

 

 

As far as I can find the ship was actually built in the USA.

 

https://www.militaryfactory.com/ships/detail.php?ship_id=htms-sukhothai-fs442-corvette-warship-royal-thai-navy

 

 

[Muhendis]

7 hours ago, Kenny202 said:

Boats don't just list and fill with water for no reason

Allow me to point out that a "boat" in naval terms is a submarine and they most certainly do take on water and sink.

[Muhendis]

2 hours ago, moe666 said:

I am going to Hypothesize.

Is it catching?

[Woof999]

2 hours ago, moe666 said:

It could have been a once a year big wave that happens on ocassion. 

Maybe once a year?

[ross163103]

I worked on the sea for 37 years so feel for these sailors. I just pray they are all found safe. In the end the captain bears all responsibility so should be held accountable for what happened.

[The Theory]

Looks like a mini WWII battleship. Perhaps more need for new ships rather than junk submarines. 

[loveushorttime]

How does a big navy shop like that, take on water and sink ???

Ok maybe it hit an iceberg.

 

[SiSePuede419]

9 hours ago, digbeth said:

I'd hold of on the submarine joke, 

the all aboard safe is premature, latest report is that about 20-30 sailors are still in the water

You're saying those new screen doors on the submarine probably wasn't the best idea? ????

[findlay13]

2 hours ago, Mansell said:

That is not a small warship. One wonders of the size of the waves they were dealing with. Having been in the Royal Navy and through two hurricanes, the second in the Atlantic with 70 foot waves aboard a frigate. We just sailed straight into the waves at just enough speed to make progress……not a fun time. There was another frigate with us and a sailor got washed overboard, he should never have been on the upper deck. Because the risk was to great for us to turn, or the other frigate, mainly because those size waves would roll us over if we caught one wrong and the ship would sink immediately. An auto inflating life-raft was thrown overboard and he was wearing a life jacket, but his chances of seeing or getting to it was slim to none….there was also very high winds. With the US Coast Guard planes searching for him, we turned back after the hurricane dissipated. We found the life raft, but nobody in it.

 

The captain of this corvette should have been steering straight into the waves at a reduced speed. Seems a bit strange that water entered the air vents for the engine room as they are usually facing towards the stern. When you are in that kind of weather the ship should be completely battened down.

Very sad if sailors have lost their lives. Another part of the equation is it was night, that makes everything much trickier. Nobody likes seeing a ship sinking warship or merchant marine. I doubt we will actually find out what happened, maybe swept under the rug.

I went through one hurricane in the Atlantic in  December 1975-76 .I was working on a supply boat [183ft long] for the North Sea Rigs out of Holland ,The company got a new contract for Trinidad and we took the ship

There was an inexperienced mate just running into the waves and the 

Captain saved all our dozen lives that night. He went running from his cabin to the bridge ,and swung the ship 180 degrees at just the correct moment, to run before the waves. How he did it I don't know and we spend the next day running before the storm

Skipper asked me how high the waves were and I said 50 ft.He said no wait until the ship drops to the bottom of the wave. He reckoned they'd be 70-80 ft, this was after a few of us had had  to go out on deck and re chain and dog the extra 44 gallon  fuel drums we were carrying. .We had to stop at the Azores for repairs .I never want another night like that.I'm actually getting wound up a bit thinking of it. I hope all the sailors are safe.As you say I doubt we'll ever really find out what happened