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SS Richard Montgomery: The Shipwreck Still Holding Thousands of Tons of Wartime Explosives
82 years after the SS Richard Montgomery sank in the Thames Estuary, the dangerous wartime wreck remains under close surveillance — and the Government has now begun a major operation to reduce the risks surrounding it.
The SS Richard Montgomery, an American Liberty ship built during the Second World War, sank in the Thames Estuary near Sheerness in 1944 after grounding on a sandbank.
The ship had been carrying approximately 7,000 tons of munitions when it arrived in the Thames Estuary. Salvage teams managed to recover around half of the cargo before the operation was abandoned after the vessel flooded. Around 1,400 tons of explosives remain inside the forward holds today.
Despite decades underwater, the wreck has remained a major focus for maritime safety authorities. The site is protected by an exclusion zone, surrounded by warning buoys and monitored continuously. Regular surveys are also carried out to assess the condition of the wreck and the surrounding seabed.
What is happening now?
The latest Government plan is not to simply blow up or remove the entire wreck and its explosives.
Instead, authorities are concentrating on reducing structural risks from the ship itself.
The three large masts have been identified as an important part of the problem because their weight places additional stress on the ageing wreck. There has also been concern that sections of the masts could eventually collapse onto the holds containing the remaining explosives.
In July 2026, the Department for Transport announced that specialist marine engineers would begin a carefully controlled operation to remove the three masts. The project has Government funding of £9.5 million.
The plan involves constructing an underwater working platform and using specialist equipment to dismantle the masts below the waterline. The Government says the work is being carried out under strict safety procedures because of the explosives still present inside the wreck.
Why are the explosives not simply removed?
The SS Richard Montgomery is an extremely difficult salvage operation.
The ship has been underwater for more than eight decades, and the condition of the hull, seabed and remaining cargo all have to be considered before any major intervention.
Government assessments have concluded that the wreck remains stable, although it is gradually deteriorating. Officials therefore continue to monitor it rather than attempting a straightforward removal of the remaining explosives.
Parliament was told in April 2026 that the Government’s latest modelling indicated that the overall risk from the wreck remains low. Officials also said that even an extremely unlikely worst-case explosion scenario was modelled, with the predicted effects onshore expected to be limited.
A dangerous piece of maritime history
For generations, the masts of the Richard Montgomery have been visible from parts of the Thames and Medway area.
The Government now intends to preserve the recovered masts rather than simply dispose of them. Following specialist treatment at the Historic Dockyard Chatham, they are intended to become part of a local display or heritage project.
However, the priority remains safety.
The exclusion zone around the wreck will remain in place, and authorities will continue monitoring the site after the mast operation.
What happens next?
The mast-removal operation represents a significant change in the long-term management of the Richard Montgomery.
Authorities will continue assessing the condition of the wreck and the explosives inside it. The Government’s approach is essentially one of risk reduction, monitoring and carefully controlled engineering, rather than attempting a rushed removal of the entire wreck.
The Richard Montgomery therefore remains one of Britain’s most closely monitored wartime wrecks — a reminder of the enormous risks and challenges left behind by the Second World War more than 80 years ago.
Attached is a news article regarding the Richard Montgomery shipwreck with bombs onboard the ship
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yz1e3gv40o
Article written and configured by Christopher Stanley
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