‘Doomsday shipwreck’ packed with explosives could trigger Thames tsunami | UK News

A wreck filled with 1,400 tonnes of unexploded bombs is deteriorating faster than expected, new research has found, raising the risk of a tsunami in the Thames.

The SS Richard Montgomery – nicknamed the ‘Doomsday Wreck’ – sank in 1944 in the Thames Estuary near Sheerness in Kent and Southend-on-Sea in Essex.

After 78 years underwater, the World War II Liberty ship is badly corroded. There are concerns that the ship’s three masts, which still protrude above the water, could collapse and fall on the dormant explosives, causing a “catastrophic” explosion.

The Department of Transport had already planned to remove the masts, but after the results of a new survey showed the ship’s condition was deteriorating faster than previously thought, the removal schedule has been brought forward.

In a statement, the department said its priority is “ensuring the safety of the public and mitigating any risk posed by the SS Richard Montgomery.”

The report continues: ‘Experts have conducted significant research into the wreck and based on their findings we are revising our original timetable for removing the masts as safely as possible.

“The goal is to remove the masts as quickly as possible, if there is a safe and effective operational methodology for doing so.”

The statement did not make clear how quickly the removal could take place.

What did the research yield?

The new report, released last week after a 2023 investigation, warns that “the deck space on the port side three well appears to have collapsed. This appears to be recent.”

Meanwhile, it appears that the ‘entire forward part of the wreck’, which lies in two halves on the bottom, has ‘an increase in slope’ of 10 to 15 cm.

This increasing eastward tilt, the report said, raises “potential concerns” that the wreck “may be undermined as supporting sediment erodes away.”

The investigation also found that a crack in the second cargo hold had widened by 5cm and lengthened by 37cm in a year and had ‘significantly warped’ further down.

This gives “the impression that the forward part of the wreck is splitting in two,” the study said, causing the deck above to collapse by up to 20cm in a single year.

What makes matters worse is that the rear of the ship “is just like the forward section… and potentially breaks in two halfway along its length.”

Here, the report said, a six-metre-long section of deck had collapsed more than half a metre in one year.

Rich Lehmann, chairman of the environment committee at Swale Borough Council, which includes Sheerness, said the local authority was closely monitoring the situation.

He said: ‘The condition of the wreck is worrying and the council is closely monitoring the situation.

‘Officers are in consultation with the Department for Transport, which manages the wreck, and other relevant agencies to ensure all necessary precautions are taken to mitigate any potential risks.

“The safety of our community and the protection of our marine environment remain our top priorities.”

What could happen if the bombs explode?

Earlier, Medway Council said in a report that the explosive on the ship could trigger a huge tsunami that could destroy everything in its path.

The report stated that the explosion “would send a 300-meter-wide column of water, mud, metal and munitions nearly 3,000 meters into the air, endangering wildlife and the lives of many people.”

Meanwhile, researchers at Defence Research and Development Canada told New Scientist in 2022 that the Montgomery “could be one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in the world, causing widespread destruction and death.”

Earlier this year, Southend Labour councillor Lydia Hyde said the situation had deteriorated to such an extent that action needed to be taken as soon as possible.

She said: ‘There was an assessment in the summer and then in November there was a more comprehensive assessment, where we looked particularly at the condition of the masts.

‘The concern is that corrosion will cause them to fail catastrophically, that their structural integrity will be lost, that the mast will fall over and land on the wreck, and that could cause an explosion.

‘After the dive they assessed it and said, ‘We actually need to bring this forward because the corrosion was worse than expected.’

“So they have to be demolished.”

How did the SS Montgomery sink?

The ship is named after the famous American general Richard Montgomery, who rendered great service to his country during the War of Independence.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt claimed that the ship, built to carry vital supplies to the Allies during World War II, would help restore “freedom” to Europe.

In the summer of 1944, the Montgomery sailed from America to the United Kingdom with approximately 7,000 tons of explosives.

But when the ship finally reached the Thames Estuary, a force 8 wind forced the ship’s anchor into shallow water, where it crashed onto the bank.

Due to a weakness in the ship’s design, the hull split in two and the ship sank to the bottom of the river, where it remains today, its masts still visible to bystanders.

A ‘catastrophic’ threat

After the crash, specialized teams managed to remove more than 5,000 tons of ammunition stored on board the ship.

But the salvage operation stopped when the ship filled with water and there were still about 1,400 tons on board.

Three types of bombs are still found on board the ship: unexploded TNT bombs, approximately 800 detonated cluster bombs and a large number of smoke bombs.

Although a March 2000 report on the wreck suggested that “TNT does not react with water and is extremely stable, especially when stored at stable, low temperatures,” the real danger lies in the white phosphorus filling of the smoke bombs, which is stable underwater and can spontaneously ignite when exposed to air.

Councillor Hyde said: ‘It’s obviously been there for decades, but over time the metal will rust.

‘So far it has been fine, but over time it has gotten worse and it has reached the point where it is no longer safe to remove the masts.’

During a House of Lords debate in 2019, Lord Harris of Haringey gave an assessment of what would happen if the entire remaining charge were to explode.

Referring to a 1970 assessment by the Royal Military College of Science, he said the wreck could create “a 3,000-metre column of water and debris and a tsunami five metres high”.

‘This would flood Sheerness and the wave of water, possibly carrying burning phosphorus, would reach the petrochemical plant on the Isle of Grain.’

However, Hyde believes the impact would be big enough in Southend, just over five miles away.

She said, “If that explosion happened, we’re talking about windows blowing out on the coast.”

‘I don’t know how big the risk to life is at that distance. It could be that it is quite small when seen directly through the sun.

“But if it’s enough to break windows, blow people over, and drive people into things, then things can fall on them. That can be quite dangerous for pedestrians.”

She estimated it would be ‘worse’ on the Isle of Sheppey, which is just two miles from the wreck.

Plans to remove the masts were first made in 2020.

The responsible ministry, the Ministry of Transport, said at the time that the masts could “put unnecessary pressure on the rest of the ship”.

But the work has been delayed for years and yet the masts are still there.

‘The masts must be brought to Sheerness’

Mr Lehman said the ship was an integral part of Sheerness’s history and held a special place in the hearts of our residents.

It is therefore important, he added, that when the masts are eventually removed they are brought to Sheerness to be preserved as ‘an important chapter of the island’s history’.

“The wreck is not only a historical landmark, but also a beloved symbol of our community’s resilience and heritage.”

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