King Cruiser wreck
Encyclopedia
The King Cruiser wreck is the wreck
of the car ferry of the same name that sank off the West Coast of Southern Thailand
on 4 May 1997.
The ferry was operating between Phuket
and the Phi Phi Islands
in southern Thailand when she hit a submerged collection of rocky pinnacles at Anemone Reef 10 miles off Phi Phi Island. The impact split the reef in two and also tore a large hole in the hull limiting its seaworthiness to a further thousand metres. The vessel sank within 2.5 hours.http://thailand.greatestdivesites.com/phuket_krabi/king_cruiser
561 passengers rescued included Thai and foreign tourists. They were safely taken to two police patrol boats and 4-5 fishing boats, which had raced to the rescue in response to an emergency call. One elderly woman sustained a broken back and several others suffered shock.
The wreck remains in one piece although the foreword upper deck has collapsed. The simplest and safest point of entry is through the vessels stern where divers can explore the once active car decks. Machinery still sits on the deck. Inside the car deck are a couple of vehicle tyres and an engine trolley. Rows of passenger seats and low coffee tables fill the inner recesses. The collapsed foredeck is at 16 metres where there is a stack of plastic picnic tables and chairs often surrounded by a cloud of snappers
. The upper deck is split from front to back.
As well as the wreck
there is lots of coral
growth and an abundance of fish. Soft corals can be found growing along the sides and top of the wreck
. Schools of bigeye trevally
are often spotted circling above the captain's cabin. Large schools of yellow snapper hang around the entrances to the car deck and along the remains of the upper deck, plus lionfish
can be seen dotted around the wreck. There are also occasional encounters with leopard shark
s and bamboo sharks, barracuda
and turtles.
Wreck
Wreck may refer to:* Wreck, a ceremony of initiation into the 40 et 8 club* Wreck , an American indie rock band* A collision of an automobile, aircraft or other vehicle* Shipwreck, the remains of a ship after a crisis at sea...
of the car ferry of the same name that sank off the West Coast of Southern Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
on 4 May 1997.
The ferry was operating between Phuket
Phuket Province
Phuket , formerly known as Thalang and, in Western sources, Junk Ceylon , is one of the southern provinces of Thailand...
and the Phi Phi Islands
Phi Phi Islands
The Phi Phi Islands are located in Thailand, between the large island of Phuket and the western Andaman Sea coast of the mainland. The islands are administratively part of Krabi province...
in southern Thailand when she hit a submerged collection of rocky pinnacles at Anemone Reef 10 miles off Phi Phi Island. The impact split the reef in two and also tore a large hole in the hull limiting its seaworthiness to a further thousand metres. The vessel sank within 2.5 hours.http://thailand.greatestdivesites.com/phuket_krabi/king_cruiser
561 passengers rescued included Thai and foreign tourists. They were safely taken to two police patrol boats and 4-5 fishing boats, which had raced to the rescue in response to an emergency call. One elderly woman sustained a broken back and several others suffered shock.
Causes of the sinking
The ferry was on a regular crossing in normal conditions and the Anenome Reef was charted and well known by captains in the area. This has led to various unproven theories as to why the accident occurred. Theories include insurance fraud due to the owners experiencing financial difficulties on the unprofitable route and also that local dive companies paid the captain to sink the vessel as, up until that time, there were no wreck dives around Phuket. http://www.sharkeyscuba.com/Dive%20Sites/Phuket/King_Cruiser_Wreck_Phuket.htm The captain was found to be negligent.http://www.atlanticscuba.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=48&Itemid=28Recreational dive site
The vessel is now a popular recreational dive site and acts as an artificial reef to complement the Anenome Reef. The vessel sits upright on a sandy bottom in around 30m of water rising to ~10m at the top of the wreck.The wreck remains in one piece although the foreword upper deck has collapsed. The simplest and safest point of entry is through the vessels stern where divers can explore the once active car decks. Machinery still sits on the deck. Inside the car deck are a couple of vehicle tyres and an engine trolley. Rows of passenger seats and low coffee tables fill the inner recesses. The collapsed foredeck is at 16 metres where there is a stack of plastic picnic tables and chairs often surrounded by a cloud of snappers
Lutjanidae
Snappers are a family of perciform fish, mainly marine but with some members inhabiting estuaries, feeding in freshwater. Some are important food fish. One of the best known is the red snapper....
. The upper deck is split from front to back.
As well as the wreck
Wreck
Wreck may refer to:* Wreck, a ceremony of initiation into the 40 et 8 club* Wreck , an American indie rock band* A collision of an automobile, aircraft or other vehicle* Shipwreck, the remains of a ship after a crisis at sea...
there is lots of coral
Coral
Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...
growth and an abundance of fish. Soft corals can be found growing along the sides and top of the wreck
Wreck
Wreck may refer to:* Wreck, a ceremony of initiation into the 40 et 8 club* Wreck , an American indie rock band* A collision of an automobile, aircraft or other vehicle* Shipwreck, the remains of a ship after a crisis at sea...
. Schools of bigeye trevally
Bigeye trevally
The bigeye trevally, Caranx sexfasciatus , is a species of widespread large marine fish classified in the jack family Carangidae...
are often spotted circling above the captain's cabin. Large schools of yellow snapper hang around the entrances to the car deck and along the remains of the upper deck, plus lionfish
Lionfish
Lionfish may refer to:* genus Pterois, collectively known as the lionfish* Red Lionfish , a significant invasive species off the East Coast of North America and in the Caribbean-Fish:...
can be seen dotted around the wreck. There are also occasional encounters with leopard shark
Leopard shark
The leopard shark is a species of houndshark, family Triakidae, found along the Pacific coast of North America from the U.S. state of Oregon to Mazatlán in Mexico...
s and bamboo sharks, barracuda
Barracuda
The barracuda is a ray-finned fish known for its large size and fearsome appearance. Its body is long, fairly compressed, and covered with small, smooth scales. Some species could reach up to 1.8m in length and 30 cm in width...
and turtles.