Eight aircraft to be sunk off Phuket

Four Douglas C-47 Skytrain aircraft, similar to the WWII model pictured here, will be part of an artificial reef off the coast of Cherng Talay.

The new tourism attraction will draw at least 3,000 visitors a year, according to Phuket deputy governor Vorapot Rathasima. The artificial reef is a joint effort of the provincial administration, TDA - Thailand Diving Association, the Department of Marine and Costal Resources, For Sea Foundation and the Royal Thai Air Force.

The air force donated four Douglas C-47s and six helicopters that saw action during Vietnam and Korean wars, said For Sea Foundation president Vittayen Muttamara.

All the aircraft were thoroughly sanitised and towed about a kilometre offshore to a point where the sea is 15-20 metres deep and allowed to sink to the bottom, their final resting place.

For Sea Foundation secretary Vittayen Muttamura said his organization was established by a group of Bangkok-based divers in April 2005 to survey and restore coral reefs damaged by the tsunami.

Coral Reef Squadron
“We co-ordinated with all the agencies involved to acquire the decommissioned aircraft from the air force and to get permission to sink them in order to create an artificial reef. This project is the first of its kind in Thailand,” he said. The aging aircraft, which have been dubbed the “Coral Reef Squadron”, are currently at the Koke Krathiem Air Force Base in Lopburi.

The US-built aircraft, which served during the Vietnam and Korean wars, will be partially disassembled and transported overland before being dropped into the ocean in a two-day operation scheduled to start on May 5.

The dive site is expected to take some pressure off popular dive sites in the Similan and Surin Marine National Parks, K. Wittaya said.

“We believe these aircraft are very suitable for creating artificial reefs because they are large enough for divers to enter and will not affect currents at that depth. Also, they are mostly aluminum and will not rust,” he said.

The Douglas C-47 Skytrains, commonly called “Dakotas”, have a wingspan of 29m and are more than 19m long and more than 5m tall. The Sikorsky S-58T is a large helicopter built for a crew of two and 12 passengers. It is more than 14m long and 4m tall.

Cherng Talay OrBorTor President Manote Panchalaad said the project has full local support because it will promote tourism while helping local marine ecology.

Paitoon Praechaiyaphum of the Marine and Coastal Resources Department Region 4 office in Phuket said the project will become Phuket’s second major dive site.

“The reefs located off Koh Racha Yai, which attract some 600 divers monthly, is currently the only major site,” he added. “We expect about 3,000 divers to visit the site annually,” he said.