Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit and members of the Thailand Diving Association on 16 September agreed on a date for the sinking of 10 vintage aircraft to create an artificial reef off the sands of Bangtao Beach. Installation of four decommissioned Douglas C-47 Skytrain transports and six Sikorsky S-58T helicopters — collectively known as the “Coral Reef Squadron” — was originally set for 5 May. The project team rescheduled when Cyclone Nargis came ashore, expecting to complete the job in November, after the rainy season.

The grand opening ceremony for the new coral reef is now planned for 29 November, and culminates in a concert sponsored by Sony Music on Bangtao Beach. There is also a plan to open an exhibition to commemorate the illustrious history of the aircraft used in the Coral Reef Squadron.

The initial plan was for the four Douglas C-47s to be attached with a steel T-bar and three concrete blocks weighing around five tonnes each to be placed on the three angles. The six helicopters would be attached with an I-bar, and two concrete blocks placed on both sides. A large crane will lower the aircraft to a depth of 20 metres to rest upon a tin-mining sledge that already lies submerged.

The revised plan calls for five concrete blocks to be placed on the Douglas C-47s, and four on the helicopters. This move was devised to decrease the risk of damaging the aircraft during strong tides.

The Coral Reef Squadron is currently awaiting embarkation at Cape Panwa, from where it will take four days to make the journey to Bangtao. A further seven days will then be used for routine maintenance. The Douglas C-47s and the Sikorsky S-58Ts are ideally suitable for this mission, due to the fact they are mostly made from aluminium, and will not rust while submerged.

“There are 10 people on landing to fix and load the aircraft, with another five on board the ship,” explained the TDA’s Rornnachai Chindapol. “These workers will receive 500 baht per day in salary, while the 10 divers on the project will receive 5,000 per day.”

The TDA has worked on the Coral Reef Squadron project for four years, generating support among local citizens, expats and tourists who love diving. Ultimately, Khun Rornnachai said, the aim of the project is to develop and promote dive-related tourism in the Andaman Sea region. The TDA promotes care of sea resources and coral around Phuket, Phang-Nga and Krabi. To fund the Coral Reef Squadron, the group cooperated with the Tourism Authority of Thailand and the Cherngtalay Community Administration Organization (OrBorTor) to raise 4 million baht. If all goes well, Rornnachai said, the project will be immediately suitable for diving and will not damage existing sea resources at the Bangtao location.

Thanawat Kingthong also contributed to this story.