A significant underwater operation is scheduled to commence in September 2026, aimed at removing the masts from the SS Richard Montgomery, a World War Two shipwreck located on a sandbank in the Thames Estuary. The vessel, which sank in 1944, still holds an estimated 1,400 tonnes of explosives in its forward holds, making it one of the UK's most closely monitored wrecks.
The Department for Transport (DfT) has confirmed the £9.5 million project will proceed, following delays to initial plans from 2022. Specialist maritime engineers from Resolve Marine will construct an underwater platform to facilitate the safe removal of the three masts from the US Liberty ship, often referred to locally as SS Monty. Independent experts have assured the DfT that the scheme can be executed without increasing the inherent risks posed by the onboard munitions.
The SS Richard Montgomery was a US Liberty ship, part of a fleet of mass-produced cargo vessels crucial to the Allied war effort, transporting troops and supplies. In 1944, loaded with 7,000 tonnes of munitions, it grounded on a sandbank off Sheerness, Kent, and began to flood. While much of its cargo was salvaged, the substantial quantity of explosives remains, with the masts visibly protruding from the water at all tides.
Last month, the US endorsed plans for the masts to remain in the UK. These artefacts will undergo conservation at Chatham Historic Dockyard. Keir Mather, Aviation, Maritime and Decarbonisation Minister, highlighted the importance of local communities being able to reflect on the area's contribution to the UK's war effort, describing the project as an "important" and "poignant" moment that also symbolises the strength of the UK/US partnership.
Paul Barnard, deputy chief executive of Chatham Historic Dockyard, noted that the masts have served as "a familiar landmark for generations of people" and represent "an internationally important reminder of the Allied war effort." The shipwreck is currently surrounded by an exclusion zone, which will remain in place even after the masts are removed, ensuring continued safety and monitoring of the site.