Wreck held almost 300 blockbuster bombs and over 2,000 cluster bombs
Engineers have removed all three masts from the SS Richard Montgomery, a U.S. World War II cargo ship that sank in 1944 in the Thames estuary with approximately 1,400 tonnes of munitions aboard, without triggering the kind of feared explosion that has kept the wreck under constant guard for decades, U.K. maritime minister Keir Mather told the Commons on Monday.
The work, which Mather described as a “complex project requiring specialist programme, engineering and risk management expertise,” was completed ahead of schedule and below forecast costs, at an estimated £9.5 million. He said the masts had placed “significant load on the structure and their removal has reduced that risk and supports the long-term safe management of the site.”
The masts were cut away because of concerns they could collapse into the ship’s deadly cargo and detonate the vessel. The exact contents of the ship’s three holds remain unknown, though a defence agency report estimated they include almost 300 2,000-pound (900-kilogram) blockbuster bombs and more than 2,000 cluster bombs.
Some experts have warned that an accidental explosion could be catastrophic. A New Scientist report in 2004 said the blast could cause a small tsunami, throw debris three kilometres into the air and “level Sheerness,” the Kent coastal town nearest the wreck. A 2000 U.K. government report said it was widely accepted that an explosion would “put property and the local population at risk.”
Local residents have been alarmed by incidents in recent years, including the occasional close proximity of cargo shipping and a paddleboarder who uploaded pictures to social media of himself leaning on the protruding masts.
The wreck will “continue to be subject to continuous monitoring and control via the established exclusion zone,” Mather told lawmakers. A shipping exclusion zone has long surrounded the vessel, with a no-fly zone added in 2025.
The removed masts have been delivered to the Historic Dockyard Chatham, a maritime museum in Kent, “in recognition of the historic significance of the SS Richard Montgomery and its role in supporting the allied forces’ efforts during world war two,” Mather said.