$13 Million Operation Removes Masts From Thames Wreck

Resolve Marine Group has finished dismantling the three rusting masts of the SS Richard Montgomery, a World War II shipwreck resting in the Thames Estuary. The Florida-based firm completed the engineering work ahead of schedule, removing the structures that had loomed over the water for eighty years. The project was designed to reduce stress on the hull and lower the chance that the wreck would collapse.

The total cost for the removal was just under $13 million. U.K. maritime minister Keir Mather told the House of Commons that the work was completed on budget. Mather described the masts as placing a significant load on the structure. By taking them off, the government aims to support the long-term safe management of the site. The masts are now being moved to the Historic Dockyard Chatham museum for display.

The Montgomery was one of approximately 2,700 ships built in the United States to support the Allied war effort. It ran aground on a sandbar off Sheerness in August 1944. The ship was carrying munitions intended for use after the D-Day landings. During salvage efforts, the vessel broke apart and sank. Experts estimate that 1,500 tons of explosives remain in its cargo holds, roughly 40 miles from London.

Nolan Conway, a naval architect with Resolve Marine Group, explained that the vessel had begun to lean. He stated that the fear was that the masts could have fallen onto the cargo and caused a detonation. Conway noted that some of the munitions are believed to have pressure fuses. An impact could potentially set them off, which is why the removal process required extreme care.

The team faced the challenge of cutting the masts without shaking the wreck or endangering workers. They built a custom lifting frame to raise each mast clear without swinging or swaying. To cut the masts underwater, the crew used a remotely operated diamond-wire saw. The device clamps around the mast with hydraulic arms and passes the saw through the metal. This method allowed the work to proceed without divers entering the water.

The explosives remain in place because removing them would carry considerable risks. Experts disagree on the potential impact of a detonation. Conway said estimates range from effects on the shoreline to a tidal wave traveling up the Thames. Other assessments suggest a fairly minor event that might only close a nearby shipping channel. Conway described the range of impacts as large, but noted that none of the scenarios are really good. Officials continue to judge the overall chance of an explosion to be low.

The government has maintained an exclusion zone around the wreck, which lies about 1.5 miles off the Sheerness coast. Mather confirmed that the site will continue to be subject to continuous monitoring and control through that zone. The masts will be preserved in Chatham to recognize the ship's historic significance. The Montgomery and its cargo will stay where they came to rest, now entirely out of sight.