Salvors Remove 3 Masts From SS Richard Montgomery as 1,500 Tons of WWII Explosives Still Lie Aboard
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Oct 4
Salvors Remove 3 Masts From SS Richard Montgomery as 1,500 Tons of WWII Explosives Still Lie Aboard
1 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Oct 4
Summary
$12 million British-backed salvage crews cut away all three masts from the SS Richard Montgomery this week, a long-delayed step to reduce collapse risk at the Thames estuary wreck near London.
Experts had warned the steel masts could fall onto the ship’s paper-thin, decomposing decks, where thousands of munitions remain inside a hull that has been deteriorating since it sank in 1944.
Resolve Marine used low-vibration diamond wire saws, sonar, radar and magnetometer surveys because the seabed around the wreck is littered with unexploded or suspected ordnance and sits close to active shipping lanes.
A 1970 assessment estimated a worst-case detonation could throw water and debris 3,000 meters high and generate a 5-meter wave, though the government still classifies such a full-cargo explosion as remote.
Britain has opted to remove the masts and monitor the site rather than try to extract all 1,500 tons of explosives; the recovered masts are being sent to Chatham Historic Dockyard for restoration and display.
With the masts gone, how long can the deteriorating hull hold together before the remaining munitions threaten London's busy shipping lanes?
Cutting the masts only delays the inevitable; what is the ultimate plan for the 1,500 tons of explosives still lurking offshore?
The Doomsday Wreck: How the 2026 Mast Removal of SS Richard Montgomery Redefined Maritime Hazard Management
Overview
The September 2026 removal of the SS Richard Montgomery’s masts was triggered by the ship’s worsening structural decay and the dangerous strain from its heavy steel masts. Backed by £9.5 million in government funding, engineers carefully cut and lifted the masts to prevent a catastrophic collapse that could detonate the 1,400 tonnes of explosives still inside. The masts were sent to Chatham Dockyard for conservation and future public display, preserving local heritage and boosting tourism. This operation reflects a shift toward non-invasive risk management, as authorities use advanced monitoring to track the deteriorating wreck and avoid the extreme dangers of direct intervention.