HTMS Lanta was built as LST-1141 right at the end of WW2 and saw quite a bit of USN service in the Pacific during the post-war period - including stints in both Korea and Vietnam. She was loaned to the Thais in 1970 and permanently transferred to them in 1973. She decommissioned in 2007 and is now a museum ship in Krabi.Krabi is only about 2 hours by fast ferry from Phuket, so in theory I had plenty of time to go there, have a good look around the ship, and then come back the same day. Unfortunately, the non-English-speaking travel agent who booked my ferry to Krabi, booked a ferry that didn't actually go to Krabi - it went to a different port that was about a 40-minute drive from Krabi (as opposed to the Krabi ferry pier which is literally next door to the Lanta!). So, when I finally got to the Lanta, they had closed for lunch. An hour and a half later they came back - but then I had to join a tour (they go once an hour on the hour, from 1000-1500, except for 1200, and you can only visit the ship as part of a tour), which meant I only got to see the upper and accommodation decks before I had to make a break in the middle of the tour to get back to my ferry (the last one back to Phuket until tomorrow). If that wasn't bad enough, when I walked onto the bridge deck I had disturbed a swarm of wasps - one of which stung me - and I couldn't help but think this wouldn't be a great place to go into anaphylactic shock, as I watched my arm start to swell!
I went back a couple of days later to take in the rest of the ship tour. Everything below the weather deck has been transformed into a museum on local history, which includes a 4D cinema showing off local tourist attractions. Apart from the bow-ramp area, the rest of the tank deck, and the wing compartments are no longer recognisable as being part of a warship.But back to the ship - she is in good condition and appears to be getting regular maintenance. She is on hard ground; however, they have surrounded her with a pool so that she looks to be afloat. The bow doors are open, however they were doing some construction work in front of the ship, so I couldn't really get near to that. She had a police helicopter parked on her upper deck, however there didn't appear to be any flight-deck markings, and the deck was littered with obstructions, so I'm guessing that is just there for display purposes.Entry is free. There is no gift shop and, unusually for Thailand, there were no cafes or food stands or anything like that in the area - despite it being right next to the main ferry terminal for Phi Phi island - with large numbers of tourists milling around waiting for their boats.This is a good museum ship. It is the best-preserved WW2 LST I have been on, and it is worth a visit. It is doable as a daytrip from Phuket - just make sure you get a ferry that goes to the Krabi pier - not the Ao Nang one, and don't turn up at lunchtime (or on a weekend - I think she is closed on weekends.
