The Navy posted images and video footage on its Twitter account, showing a group of personnel in orange vests in a black inflatable raft being towed away from a ship in the dark as waves raged around it . It was not immediately clear how many rafts were deployed.
Navy spokesman Admiral Pogkrong Manthardpalin said the US-built corvette Sukhothai, which has been in use since 1987, was hit by strong waves on Sunday, causing it to capsize before seawater flooded it.
A photo shared by the Navy showed the gray ship turned on its side, while another image on a scanner screen showed the ship’s bow and a gun turret lowered above the waterline.