| On the ocean floor in the Gulf of Siam, about 150 kilometers southeast of Bangkok, Thailand, lies the wreck of a once-beautiful coastal ship, the steamship Suddhadib. She has lain there for many decades, even in death providing a safe haven for multitudes of marine life. A popular site for local and international scuba divers, few visitors to the remains of this once proud ship are aware of her fascinating life story.
The steamship Suddhadib started her life in the dockyards of Hong Kong sometime during the year 1918. In Europe, World War 1 was in full swing but the war had little impact in Asia. Business and trade were booming. The East Asiatic Company, based in Bangkok but owned by a Danish man called Captain H. N. Andersen, decided to commission two new coastal ships. In honor of the royal family of Siam, he named one of the ships the Suddhadib, after one of the most popular and beautiful daughters of the King Rama the fifth.
In 1940, the Japanese-controlled Thai government appropriated the Suddhadib to carry fuel oil between Singapore and Bangkok. This fuel was vital to Japanese military campaigns in Burma and for the operation of the Japanese fleet. This thrust the Suddhadib into the war and she was now seen as an enemy of the Allies.
On the 1st of June, 1945, at 6am in the morning, 2 squadrons of RAF Liberator bombers left their Indian airfields to bomb the Port of Sattahip. Wing Commander Lucian Ercolani led RAF 159 squadron, with 14 B24 planes, each carrying five 1,000 pound bombs. The plan was for RAF 99 squadron to bomb from a medium height and, when the defenses were distracted, for the 159 squadron’s planes to fly in low and bomb the ships. After 6 hours of flying through rough monsoon skies, the planes reached Sattahip and found 3 ships at anchor near Koh Chuang, the HTMS Angthong, the HTMS Thachin and the Steamship Suddhadib. With no fighter plane defenses and very few anti-aircraft guns, the bombers were able to carefully align with their targets. RAF operation logs for the raid indicate all 3 ships were hit and sinking, although the Thai naval records say that the HTMS Thachin was hit but survived. In any case, the Suddhadib was severely damaged, both by a bomb exploding on her bow, and by an underwater explosion in the water next to her hull.
At least 3 of the bombs did not explode and are still lying in the sand next to the sunken ship. As the ship was loaded with fuel drums, the 15 members of the ship’s crew, all unharmed, had to quickly abandon ship and swim to the nearby island. The ship, still anchored, quickly sunk to the bottom and settled on her starboard side, where she has lain for the last 60 years.
Lying on her side, 28 meters below the surface of the sea, in a location known for its strong tidal currents, the Suddhadib provides an oasis for marine life. The surrounding islands all have small fringing coral reefs with their population of tropical aquatic creatures. But the Suddhadib, in a space of 70 meters by 20 meters has a comparatively massive marine life population, making this shipwreck an excellent scuba diving and a wonderful backdrop for an exciting underwater video.
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