# Masts Removed from WWII Munitions Ship in Thames Estuary

> Engineers completed the removal of the masts from the SS Richard Montgomery, a WWII cargo ship containing 1,400 tonnes of munitions, by October 19, 2026, reducing a long-standing explosion risk.

By PrimaryBrief newsroom · Published 2026-10-19T23:45:13.422248Z
Canonical: https://primarybrief.com/article/masts-removed-from-wwii-munitions-ship-in-thames-estuary-9f8b7a83

The masts of the SS Richard Montgomery, a U.S. Liberty ship carrying 1,400 tonnes of unexploded munitions, were successfully removed from its wreck in the Thames Estuary by October 19, 2026 [1][6]. This operation mitigates a decades-long public safety concern surrounding the sunken vessel.

This work addresses the risk of the masts collapsing onto the ship's unexploded cargo, a scenario that experts have warned could lead to an explosion capable of devastating a Kent coastal town and generating a tidal wave affecting London [1][6]. The removal marks a significant step in managing the danger posed by the wreck.

## What the Records Show

The SS Richard Montgomery was a U.S. Liberty Ship, built in 1943 by the St. John's River Shipbuilding Company in Jacksonville, Florida [3]. In August 1944, loaded with approximately 7,000 tons of munitions, the ship was bound for the UK and then Cherbourg [3]. On August 20, 1944, it dragged its anchor in shallow water and grounded on a sandbank near the Isle of Grain, about 250 meters north of the Medway Approach Channel [3][7]. Intensive salvage efforts managed to remove about half of the cargo by September 25, 1944 [3]. However, a crack appeared in the hull, and the forward end flooded, forcing the abandonment of the salvage operation [3][7]. An estimated 1,400 tonnes of explosives remain in its forward holds [3][4]. The wreck has been designated as dangerous under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 [1].

## Timeline of Events

**August 1944:** The SS Richard Montgomery, carrying munitions for Allied forces, grounded on a sandbank in the Thames Estuary [3].

**July 14, 2026:** The government confirmed that work to remove the masts would begin in early September [2].

**September 2026:** Resolve Marine Group began the mast removal operation, constructing an underwater platform for specialist maritime engineers [2][5].

**September 30, 2026:** The third and final mast was safely cut and removed from the wreck [4].

**October 19, 2026:** UK ministers announced the successful completion of the mast removal project [6][9]. The removed masts were transferred to The Historic Dockyard Chatham for conservation [8][9].

## What Changed and For Whom

The successful removal of all three masts has reduced a direct structural risk to the wreck [4][6][9]. The Department for Transport and the United States Maritime Administration oversaw the operation, which was carried out by Resolve Marine Group [4][9]. This action addresses concerns that the masts, visible above the water for decades, could collapse onto the unexploded cargo [6]. The existing exclusion zone around the wreck will remain in place, and continuous monitoring will continue [2][9]. For the local communities and maritime traffic in the Thames Estuary, the site has been made

## Evidence cited
1. Masts removed from bomb-laden WWII ship in Thames in bid to avoid explosion (www.theguardian.com) — https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/oct/19/us-wwii-ship-richard-montgomery-thames-bombs-prevent-explosion
2. Work to remove the masts from the SS Richard Montgomery will begin in early September, marking a significant milestone in the long-term management of the historic wreck, the government was confirmed on 14 July 2026. (iota.org.uk) — https://iota.org.uk/
3. (March 11 2026) The SS Richard Montgomery was a US Liberty Ship of 7146 gross tons. She was built in 1943 by the St John's River Shipbuilding Company of Jacksonville,. Florida. In August 1944 the ship was loaded with a cargo of some 7000 tons of munitions and joined convoy HX-301 bound for the UK and then on to Cherbourg. On arrival in the Thames Estuary, the vessel was directed to anchor in  (www.gov.uk) — https://www.gov.uk/
4. (October 12 2026) On the 30th September, the third and final mast was safely cut and removed from the wreck of the SS Richard Montgomery, the WW2 Liberty Ship still lying in the Thames Estuary with unexploded munitions on board. This milestone event completed a technically demanding, year-long programme, to mitigate the risk posed by the wreck. Waves Group is proud to have supported the Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom as Technical Advisor for this project, from early planning and  (waves-group.co.uk) — https://waves-group.co.uk/
5. (September 29 2026) Resolve Marine, a global marine solutions provider, has begun work on the mast removal of the SS Richard Montgomery, a World War II Liberty ship that sank in 1944 while carrying munitions destined for Allied forces in Europe. (resolvemarine.com) — https://resolvemarine.com/
6. (October 19 2026) Masts removed from bomb-laden WWII ship in Thames in bid to avoid explosion. American warship sank in 1944 with approximately 1,400 tonnes of munitions onboard. Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent. Mon 19 Oct 2026 12.21 EDT Last modified on Mon 19 Oct 2026 12.22 EDT. Share. Prefer the Guardian on Google. A sunken US wartime ship in the Thames estuary holding enough unexploded bombs to devastate a Kent coastal town and send a tidal wave through London has been made slightly safe (theguardian.com) — https://theguardian.com/
7. (June 05 2020) However, on the August 20, amid stormy weather, she dragged her anchor in the shallow water and grounded on a sandbank, running east from the Isle of Grain, around 250 metres north of the Medway Approach Channel. What happened? Intensive efforts began by the men onboard and local dockworkers to unload her dangerous cargo. Unfortunately, by the next day, a crack appeared in the hull and the forward end began to flood. The salvage effort continued until the September 25 by which tim (echo-news.co.uk) — https://echo-news.co.uk/
8. (October 19 2026) Mast Removal Planned for SS Richard Montgomery. UK Gov. All 3 masts of SS Richard Montgomery have been successfully removed and have been transferred to the Historic Dockyard Chatham for conservation and preservation. /Public Release. (miragenews.com) — https://miragenews.com/
9. (October 19 2026) SERCO ECONOMIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT · WIREDGOV Registration · WIREDGOV Logo. WIREDGOV. The UK's No.1 government & public sector news alerting service. sign in · Home · Register · About Us · Latest News · My WiredGov · WiredGov Plus · Contracts Locator · Tender Locator · Supplier Locator · Industry News · Search for Press Releases · Search This Site. Monday 19 Oct 2026 @ 14:20. Department for Transport. Printable version. SS Richard Montgomery mast removal project. All 3 masts of S (wired-gov.net) — https://wired-gov.net/
10. She was wrecked on the Nore sandbank in the Thames Estuary, near Sheerness, Kent, England, in August 1944, while carrying a cargo of munitions. About 1,400 tonnes (1,500 short tons) of explosives remain on board presenting a hazard whose likelihood of explosion is variously asserted to be low to moderate ...
...
SS Richard Montgomery is a wrecked American Liberty ship that was built during World War II. She was named after Richard Montgomery, an Irish officer who fought in the British Army durin (wikipedia.org) — https://wikipedia.org/
11. (October 19 2026) In the United Kingdom, engineers have completed the dismantling of three masts from the sunken Second World War-era cargo ship SS Richard Montgomery in the Thames Estuary near Sheerness. Approximately 1,400 tonnes of munitions remain aboard the vessel, which sank in 1944. The work was carried out without the explosion that had been feared for decades, The Guardian reports. (ua.news) — https://ua.news/
12. (July 27 2026) The English Channel holds countless reminders of the Second World War, but few have inspired as much debate as the wreck of the SS Richard Montgomery. The American Liberty ship has remained stranded in the Thames Estuary since 1944, still carrying thousands of tonnes of wartime explosives beneath the water. (indiatimes.com) — https://indiatimes.com/
13. The survey area lies at the eastern extremity of Sheerness Middle Sand and is to the south of the Great Nore Anchorage and north of the Medway Approach Channel. SCOPE OF WORK. 4. SRD was contracted to survey the wreck of SS RICHARD MONTGOMERY and an area of 400 metres ...
...
The SS RICHARD MONTGOMERY grounded and split in two off Sheerness in 1944 whilst carrying a cargo of bombs. A large part of the cargo was successfully recovered at the time. No explosions occurred when the ship grounded or  (service.gov.uk) — https://service.gov.uk/
14. (September 30 2024) The SS Richard Montgomery, a US Liberty Ship built in 1943 during World War II, rests precariously on a sandbank in the Thames Estuary. Its deadly cargo—approximately 1,400 tons of unexploded ordnance—remains entombed within its deteriorating hull. The SS Richard Montgomery's ill-fated journey began in August 1944 when it joined convoy HX-301. Laden with 7,000 tons of munitions bound for the UK and Cherbourg, France, the ship met disaster on August 20, 1944. While navigating  (gcaptain.com) — https://gcaptain.com/
15. (May 18 2022) The SS Richard Montgomery was a US Liberty Ship, constructed in 1943. In 1944 it was part of a convoy delivering explosives with 7,000 tonnes on this ship along. Whilst heading to Sheerness on August 12th 1944, the ships anchor was caught in the sandbanks off the Kent coast, causing the vessel to become grounded. A salvage mission to unload the cargo onboard lasted over a month before the ship became fully submerged, where it has remained with 1,400 tonnes of explosives for almost  — https://beyondthepoint.co.uk/
16. (June 08 2026) The SS Richard Montgomery was a liberty ship used to transport munitions during WW2. Stuffed with explosives, it made the journey from the US to Kent, before a storm led its to its permanent, premature resting place. 2C82A40 Sheerness, Kent, UK. 20th July, 2020. The Government have put out a tender for the masts to be cut off the dangerous shipwreck SS Richard Montgomery in the Thames. Detailed photos showing the current state of the masts and wreck taken this evening from a boat. — https://countryfile.com/
17. (October 05 2026) The SS Richard Montgomery, a U.S. military cargo ship, dragged anchor, broke her back on a sandbar, flooded and sank in late summer 1944, a few months after D-Day, with 1,500 tons of explosives still in the holds. Visualization with the GeoGarage platform (GB raster & ENC). The Monty, as the locals call her, has been disintegrating, slowly but surely, on the shallow seafloor for the last 82 ... After surviving the ocean crossing and German U-boats, she was destined for an Ameri (geogarage.com) — https://geogarage.com/
18. (October 04 2026) The SS Richard Montgomery, a U.S. military cargo ship, dragged anchor, broke its back on a sandbar, flooded and sank in late summer 1944, a few months after D-Day, with 1,500 tons of explosives still in the holds. The Monty, as the locals call the ship, has been disintegrating, slowly but surely, on the shallow seafloor for the last 82 years. Though a precise manifest is ... After surviving the ocean crossing and German U-boats, the ship was destined for an American air base in (washingtonpost.com) — https://washingtonpost.com/
19. (August 04 2020) In August 1944, the US Navy ship SS Richard Montgomery was delivering over 6,000 metric tons of explosive ordnance for use in the Allied press into France after the D-Day invasions. When the ship arrived in Britain, the King's harbor master in Southend in the Thames estuary instructed the captain of the Montgomery to moor at Sheerness middle sands. On August 20, 1944, a force 8 gale ripped through the estuary and caused the Montgomery to drag her anchor and run aground. When the (warhistoryonline.com) — https://warhistoryonline.com/
20. (September 30 2026) SS Richard Montgomery was a Liberty Ship. They were built at great speed in America, originally designed to replace lost British cargo ships. On 20 August 1944, SS Richard Montgomery was at anchor just north of the Nore Sandbank. About half of her cargo of explosives was removed soon after, but the rest had to be left, leaving 1400 tonnes in her hold and three masts sticking a long way out of the water. More: https://www.forcesnews.com/heritage/wwii/ww2-liberty-ships-masts-re (youtube.com) — https://youtube.com/
21. For years, the East Coast of the UK has been the main area that I have sailed in. It makes for some fantastic, challenging sailing. Dodging sand banks, managing strong tidal flows, and navigating the shipping. It's a fun place to sail, and not without it's fantastic sites, one of the most famous of which is the SS Richard Montgomery Ship Wreck, which lies in the Thames Estuary. Below you will find lots of facts and figures, and general info about the SS Richard Montgomery shipwreck which has bee (shewhosails.com) — https://shewhosails.com/
22. Soon the tide pushed the Liberty ship right onto the top of the Sheerness Middle Sand where she became completely I stranded. As the tide ebbed the ship settled down more firmly on her silty bed and buckled some of her plates, causing them to emit cracking noises that sounded like loud gunshots. The crew. not unnaturally apprehensive about their cargo suddenly decided that they all wanted to be landlubbers and deserted the ship in a flurry of lifeboats and rafts. Since the Montgomery had strande (submerged.co.uk) — https://submerged.co.uk/
23. (September 20 2026) The SS Richard Montgomery is a wrecked WW II American LibertyShip. She was wrecked in August 1944 on the Noresandbank in the Thames Estuary, near Sheerness, Kent, England. She sits on the seabed at 49ft. She was carrying a cargo of about 1,400 tonnes (1,500 short tons) of explosives. The cargo remains on board presenting a hazard whose likelihood of explosion was asserted to be low to moderate. Unfortunately, the wreck is deteriorating faster than feared and part of it must b (reddit.com) — https://reddit.com/
24. (December 04 2015) They have brought new scrutiny to the fate of the wreck of the SS Richard Montgomery. And that fate hasn't escaped the imagination of a few novelists and TV producers either, who have made plot use of the wreck: as the old saying goes, you can't make this stuff up. Places. Discover your next amazing Atlas Place. Get more unusual and extraordinary places each week with the Atlas Obscura Places newsletter. ... Know Before You Go. Off the Nore sandbank in the Thames Estuary, near (atlasobscura.com) — https://atlasobscura.com/