Engineers Delicately Removed the Masts From This Bomb-Laden World War II Shipwreck in the River Thames. But 1

The operation marks a major milestone in efforts to address the risks posed by the sunken American military cargo ship, which still contains a massive cache of unexploded munitions. Engineers Delicately Removed the Masts From This Bomb-Laden World War II Shipwreck in the River Thames. But 1,500 Tons of Explosives Are Still in Place. Engineers carefully removed the three masts of the SS Richard Montgomery, which sank in 1944 in the Thames Estuary near Sheerness, England.

Dan Kitwood / Getty Images In August 1944, the American military cargo ship SS Richard Montgomery sank at the mouth of the River Thames with roughly 1,500 tons of bombs, ordnances and weapons still aboard. Now, more than eight decades later, officials have taken steps to reduce the risk of an explosion. Engineers recently removed the vessel’s three masts, which had remained visible above the waterline near Sheerness, a coastal town about 50 miles east of London on the Thames Estuary.

They were concerned that the towering steel structures might one day collapse onto the decks below, potentially triggering the World War II munitions still stored inside the Richard Montgomery ’s damaged hull. The masts were taken to the Historic Dockyard Chatham, a maritime museum and heritage site in Kent, for conservation and preservation, according to a statement delivered to Britain’s Parliament on October 19. “This will help ensure that an important part of the region’s heritage is protected for future generations,” Keir Mather, minister for aviation, maritime and logistics, writes in the statement.

Meanwhile, the wreck will “continue to be subject to continuous monitoring and control,” he adds.