Thailand Diving

HTMS Kood

Pattaya, Thailand has always been recognized as a training ground and ideal training due to diversity of dive sites and this was reconfirmed.

September 17, 2006 at 10:30 am Royal Thai Navy HTMS Kood a pause the (former U.S. LSM-333) at 30 meters depth near the island of Koh Sak Pattaya.

He was running for the celebration of the 60th King's membership and thus became the second artificial reef Pattaya

The HTMS is often incorrectly référencier come RTN Kood.

The HTMS Kood is now a warship which is dilapidated and repair would be too expensive option, we did use more than 60 years.

Now it is slightly north of Koh Sak around 25 to 30 meters deep. What is an ideal depth for diving compresses and looks for Enriched Air diving and Technical diving.

Putting the bottom of the last ship allowed dive centers in Pattaya to have a closer and more accessible than the other wreck. The Hardeep is a fantastic wreck Samesan (Hardeep Mooring Buoy Project). The HTMS Khram almost identical to Kood, was sunk by the Royal Thai Navy in January 2003 just brought Koh Phai. The Khram is a wonderful diving but twice as far from the port of the new Pattaya HTMS Kood.

Solidifying Pattaya’s position as Thailand’s wreck-diving capital, the Royal Thai Navy in September 2006 sank the area’s second U.S. landing ship to become an artificial reef for marine life and divers.

Sister ship to the HTMS Khram, which was sunk off Koh Phai in February 2003, the Kood (spelled the same as Koh Kood, the island near Trat after which it was named) was dropped in slightly deeper waters than the Far Islands wreck.

The Kood’s real draw, however, is it’s location. Scuttled about 340 m. off the northeast tip of Koh Sak, one of Pattaya’s Near Islands, the wreck is just 45 minutes from Pattaya’s Bali Hai Pier. Wreck diving, thus, can now be a daily activity, rather than taking the 90 minute journey to the Khram or even longer via truck and boat to the Hardeep in Samae San.

The Kood began service in 1944 as LSM-333 in the U.S. Navy. It was transferred to the Royal Thai Navy in October 1962 renamed the LS-1 and remained in service until 1990. It was sunk to commemorate HM King Bhumobol Adulyadej’s 60 years on the throne.

Volunteers did a passable job of preparing the wreck for sinking – remembering to remove doors that, on the Khram, they had to go down afterward and remove – but leaving so much oil in the ship that wetsuits were spoiled for months. Located in the heavier-fished area off Koh Sak, the Kood also took longer to get a foothold with marine life. Four years after sinking it still didn’t have as much life as the Khram in the same amount of time, but has attracted schools of barracuda and giant catfish, among other species.

For wreck hunters, however, the marine life comes second to exploring what remains an all-but-intact ship. Its bottom rests on sand at 31.5 m. with the deck at 26 m. and the top of the conning tower at 12 m. Thus, the bulk of the vessel will only be accessible to those with an Adventure Diver or greater certification. Enriched air divers will get even more bottom time with 36 percent being the optimal mix.

The highlights of the wreck are pretty much the same as the Khram’s: the bridge and radio rooms, engine room, and deck and side passageways. Large holes were cut in many areas to allow for penetration that rarely takes the diver out of natural light. For those looking for exact details of possible penetration points, you can find photos of original blueprint plans here.

The top deck is flat, which allowed for transport of tanks and men, while the port and starboard are raised, making for interesting area to explore. Both the engines have been removed, but entry to the engine room is through a large hole cut in the center of the deck.

Heading back to the surface, the bridge and radio room is centrally located and makes an interesting ascent route. You’re able to stop off and sit in the captain’s chair and check out the instruments before heading up the radio mask to the safety stop at the top of the conning tower.

Visibility and current can be a problem, however. Divers sometimes joke they thought they’d only gone as far as the conning tower but, in fact, had crossed the Kood’s entire length. If you are Wreck Diver certified, an experienced Aquanauts diver can take you on a long swim-through, even passing far under the wreck’s deck.

HTMS Kood Facts and Specifications

Laid down: July 13, 1944 at Pullman Standard Car Manufacturing Co., Chicago, Ill.
Launched: Date unknown
Commissioned: USS LSM-333, Nov. 25, 1944, LT. William Russell Schulhof, USNR in command.
During World War II: LSM-333 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the Okinawa Gunto operation from April 28 to May 18, 1945.
Decommissioned: July 28, 1946
Struck From the Naval Register: Date unknown
Transferred: in October 1962 to Thailand and renamed HTMS Kood (LSM-1)
Final Disposition: Struck from the Royal Thai Navy list in 1990, retained for use as spare parts in Royal Thai Navy.
Decoration: LSM-333 received one battle star for World War II service

Specifications

Displacement: 520 t. (light), 743 t.(landing) 1,095 t.(fully loaded)
Length: 203′ 6″ o.a.
Beam: 34′ 6″
Draft: light, 3′ 6″ forward, 7′ 8″ aft, fully loaded, 6′ 4″ forward, 8′ 3″ aft
Speed: 13.2kts, (max.), (928 tons displacement)
Complement: Four officers, 54 enlisted
Armament: One single bow mounted 40mm gun, four single 20mm gun mounts
Vehicle/Boat Capacity: Five medium or three heavy tanks, or six LVT’s, or nine DUKW’s
Troop Accommodations Two officers, 46 enlisted
Armor: 10 lb. STS splinter shield to gun mounts, pilot house and conning station
Propulsion: Two Fairbanks Morse (model 38D81/8X10, reversible with hydraulic clutch) diesels. Direct drive with 1,440 BHP each @ 720rpm, twin screws
Endurance: 4,900 miles at12kts.(928 tons displacement