How a Thai Billionaire’s Dream Ship Became a Berkarat Wreck on Koh Chang
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- A Thai billionaire’s vision transformed a U.S. Navy ship into Koh Chang’s Grand Lagoona Hotel, but financial ruin, local curses, and a 2024 fire left it a rusted scrap heap by 2025.
- Once a buzzing tourist draw near Koh Chang’s beaches, the seven-deck Grand Lagoona shut in 2012 and burned in 2024, reduced to a skeletal hull amid jungle whispers of doom.
- From 1998 glory to 2025 wreckage: Ex-Galaxy ship’s journey as a landlocked luxury hotel ended in flames and scrap sales on Thailand’s Koh Chang island.
A former U.S. Navy vessel named the Galaxy, originally bound for Phnom Penh, Cambodia, was repurposed into a luxury hotel by a Thai billionaire with dreams of a floating resort.
Though conceived as a floating hotel, the massive ship was hauled onto land in 1998, nestled between lush forest and a stunning lagoon known as Koh Chang Lagoona. The Grand Lagoona Hotel quickly captured the imagination of tourists, offering a novel alternative to the grand bungalows dotting the area.
At its peak, the hotel buzzed with visitors. Reaching it required just a seven-hour drive south from Bangkok to Koh Chang, Thailand’s third-largest island.
The site sat conveniently near the beachfront, but the owners added a swimming pool right in front of the ship. Tall palm trees and dense vegetation framed the property beautifully.
The ship’s seven-deck structure lent itself perfectly to hotel use, boasting 70 guest rooms. The top two levels housed a restaurant, while lavish carpets and chandeliers inside evoked the elegance of high-end establishments.
But the hotel shut down in 2012 amid financial woes. Since then, it has moldered abandoned amid thick jungle growth. Locals whisper of a curse from nearby residents, who opposed the project from the start—beyond just the money troubles.
After years of neglect, the ship suddenly caught fire in 2024 under mysterious circumstances. About 50 firefighters battled the blaze, but fierce winds thwarted their efforts. Smoke billowed for weeks before a crew was tasked with dismantling the charred remains.
What was once a silent hulk in the forest is now a shapeless ruin. Its exterior has turned rusty brown, the interior gutted, though the skeletal frame still stands defiantly on the plot.
By mid-2025, only the hull remained, with upper sections carted off and sold as scrap metal.
Indonesianpost.com | Detik
