The bodies of six sailors from HTMS Sukhothai were brought to their Sattahip base on Thursday as the search for 23 others continued for the fourth day.
A C-130 transport aircraft of the Royal Thai Navy landed at U-tapao airport from Wing 5 in Prachuap Khiri Khan province, with navy commander Adm Choengchai Chomchoengpaet hosting a sombre ceremony to receive the bodies.
All of the coffins, draped in the national flag, were taken by a convoy to the Sattahip Naval Crematorium in Chon Buri province for the royally sponsored bathing and chanting rites.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was scheduled to attend the two rites before returning to Bangkok.
A source said he also planned a visit to the operations centre in Bang Saphan district of Prachuap Khiri Khan on Friday.
HTMS Sukhothai, with 105 people on board, capsized on Sunday night as it was patrolling in rough seas off Bang Saphan. Search operations have found six bodies and 23 sailors are still missing.
Gen Prayut, who is also the defence minister, has not visited the operations centre since the tragic event. He was absent on Thursday from the House, where opposition members wanted to question him about apparent shortcomings that could have contributed to the Sukhothai tragedy.
Deputy Defence Minister Chaicharn Changmongkol, speaking on behalf of Gen Prayut, said an investigaton had been launched to find out why there were not enough life jackets on the ship.
The prime minister offered moral support for people in flooded areas in Songkhla and Phathalung provinces on Tuesday and travelled to Chiang Rai on Wednesday to talk to farmers and community leaders about poverty eradication projects, his office said.
The navy has deployed four main ships to lead the search and rescue operations. They are concentrating on areas in the Gulf of Thailand viewed as the most likely locations where the remaining crewmen were floated by winds and waves after they were ordered to abandon HTMS Sukhothai after the corvette started to take on water and sink.
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