Three masts from the SS Richard Montgomery, a shipwreck containing 1,400 tonnes of explosives in the Thames Estuary, have been successfully transported to the Historic Dockyard Chatham. The poles, which had been visible from the Essex and Kent coasts since the vessel sank in 1944, were removed in September.
Junior transport minister Kier Mather said in a written statement to Parliament that the removal of the masts had reduced the risk of them toppling onto and detonating the bombs. He added that the masts had placed significant load on the vessel's structure as it aged, and their removal supports the long-term safe management of the site.
Engineers cut the masts free in a project that was completed ahead of schedule and below its initially estimated cost of £9.5m. The SS Richard Montgomery, which grounded on a sandbank in 1944, remains subject to continuous monitoring and control via an exclusion zone.