The Pattaya wrecks , HTMS Mataphon, Shipwreck diving in Pattaya, Thailand, with the 5-star Dive Academy Thailand diving center.

The Pattaya wrecks, HTMS Mataphon, before USS LCT-1260.

Another unique dive site in Pattaya

HTMS Mataphon, before USS LCT-1260.

• Type: Landing Craft Tank
• Built: 1944 - Quincy Barge Builders, USA
• Launched: 29/07/1944
• Weight: 160 tons
• Dimensions: 36.3 million long, 9.96m wide, 1.02m projects
• Power: 3 x gray marine diesel 675hp -
• Speed: 7 knots
• Crew: 12
• Sank: 20/10/2012 - scuttled
• Depth: 23m

HTMS Mataphon is a Landing Craft Tank Mark 6 and is the latest addition to the excellent Pattaya range of sites for wreck diving in Thailand. Now it rests Had a Nuan, south of Koh Larn, it is one of the closest to the Bali Hai Pier Pattaya wrecks near his fellow war veteran - HTMS Kut.

Provided for in Quincy Barge Builders in Quincy, Illinois, United States Navy of the United States on July 11, 1944, she was launched on 29 July and put into operation USS LCT-1260 on September 8. She was assigned to the Force operations in the U.S. 7th Fleet in the Pacific and Asian theater.

LCT-1260 was awarded a Navy Commendation for service in a rescue unit, the fight against the fire and rescue March 3 to June 6, 1945. Meanwhile, she also participated in the invasion of the Philippines - in particular, the operations to recapture the island of Luzon. His involvement lasted from March 19 to April 1, 1945 - when she got her battle star. The Battle of Luzon initially involved 175,000 men - amounting to more than 200,000 - including Filipinos, Americans, Australians and Mexicans. All major strategic areas of the island were taken in March 1945, but the battle has not been said in until 15 August, when the Japanese surrendered, ending World War II. Even then, some recalcitrant persisted and started fighting for more than a decade.

Craft of this type were armed with two single mounting 20mm anti-aircraft guns and up to four .50 caliber machine guns. This class of ship is sometimes called landing craft (LCU) due to the fact that the loading capacity is 150 tons was often used to transport equipment to the ground instead of armored vehicles.

There were 960 LCT Mk.6 ships built between 1943 and 1944. Six of them were bought by Thailand after World War II, where they became the Mataphon class. LCT-1260 was decommissioned U.S. Navy in October 1946 and arrived in Thailand (via the Philippines), Sept. 2, 1947, entry into service as HTMS Mataphon (hull number 761) in October of the same year . She served in the Royal Thai Navy, but was not involved in future campaigns. It was finally withdrawn from active service in 2008 and sunk as an artificial reef and dive site on the morning of October 20, 2012 in a ceremony that cost more than THB 16mil, dedicated to the 60th anniversary of Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn.

 

Due to some confusion in the community of divers on the ship was actually sunk the wreck of Mataphon (sometimes spelled as "Mattaphon" or "Mattapon") may also be referred to as HTMS Phetra (or "Petra "or" Tra Phe "). Although both the same class of ship, Phetra had hull number 764 and was formerly the USS LCT-1089.

Some reports show Mataphon as having been formerly the USS LCT-800, but the ship became HTMS Rawi (hull number 762). The names and Mataphon Rawi have been re-used by the Royal Thai Navy, given the two new ships built Thai LCU.

 

 

Being freshly poured, it will take some time for corals adorn the tower 10.3 m high, although the sea life can be much quicker to settle in this new shelter. Its small size and its open structure makes it an ideal site to dive CMAS 1 *, 2 * CMAS or PADI Advanced Open and practice wreck diving in Pattaya that the passages are wide and