The Gulf of Thailand hides many interesting sites for divers beneath its surface. One of these world-class locations is the wreck of the warship “Sattakut”. Once a ship owned by the US Navy, the “Sattakut” is a vessel with a very turbulent history. It first sailed in January 1944. By February the same year, it had already participated in war operations at the Western Caroline Islands, Iwo Jima and Okinawa Gunto. Having survived the stormy years of World War II, after the end of the conflict, it remained in the possession of the Thai Navy.

During that period, it performed various peacetime tasks until 2007 when it was decommissioned from naval resources. In 2011, by order of Thailand’s Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, the ship was sunk near Koh Tao island, more precisely in the immediate vicinity of the small island of Nangyan. After all potentially toxic materials were removed, “Sattakut” was finally sunk. First it landed on the bottom of the sea, turned on one side, which was not attractive. Soon, divers corrected the position of the wreck, so that today “Sattakut” lies upright on the bottom.

When you start the dive, the outline of the ship begins to appear at a depth of about 10m. The clear, blue water ends at about 19m after which you enter greenish water and visibility decreases. The reason for this is algae, currents and plankton. The sharp angles of the ship’s structure combined with the weaker light at the bottom create a very special atmosphere. Sea creatures have inhabited “Sattakut” for a long time, so it is common to see large groupers swimming casually through the command bridge.

If you happen to be in this part of the world, on the island of Koh Tao, this wreck is certainly a dive not to be missed. Also, it is ideal to expand your diving education with the SSI Wreck Diving specialty.

For more information and diving at “Sattakut” see: https://kohtaodivers.com/

Written by Janez Kranjc

Photos by Ivana OK, Janez Kranjc, Wikipedia, Charly Severino

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