HTMS Pangan 16.9.2010
A team of technical divers from Davy Jones Locker set out to dive the wreck of the HTMS Pangan. A Thai military transport which was lost in bad weather.
In the 70’s the pangan was ordered to dump expired ordinance. Then in the official report of the sinking the captain claimed the cargo shifted and she started to take on board water. The captain then gave the order to abandon ship.
I was lucky enough to lead the first buddy team to dive her and we were surprised to find evidence of fire damage on the stern of the vessel, as the metal in this area was blown and easy to cut through, suggesting rapid cooling of the metal when she sank.
During this trip we were disappointed to find the top of the bridge to have been ripped off the main super structure. Even so she is still an impressive site and swimming around the gang ways 40 years under the sea has done little to diminish the care taken by the shipwrights when she was originally constructed.
