King Cruiser wreck

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.

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=28]

Recreational dive site

The vessel is now a popular recreational dive site and acts as an artificial reef to compliment 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. 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. Small fans and soft corals can be found growing along the sides and top of the wreck. Schools of big-eye 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 occasionaly encounters with leopard sharks and bamboo sharks, barracuda and turtles.

The wreck was first dived by the owner of Moskito Diving Mr. Heinz Oswald [http://www.moskitodiving.com/dive-sites/king-cruiser.htm] and his team where they carried out initial investigations and research for Songserm Travel Centre Company and Ferry Line Plc, the owners of the boat.

External links

* [http://www.moskitodiving.com/dive-sites/king-cruiser.htm Photo Gallery and including pictures of the sinking]
* [http://www.lantainfo.com/lanta_diving.htm Diagram of the wreck showing collapsed sections]

References

* [http://thailand.greatestdivesites.com/phuket_krabi/king_cruiser Thailand Great Dive Sites]