SS Richard Montgomery

[FWB]

The Royal Navy has been called in to dismantle a sunken warship in the River Thames, as the latest assessment says 1,400 tonnes of unstable explosives on board could cause “mass damage and loss of life”.
Bomb disposal experts trained in underwater demolitions have been tasked with making safe the SS Richard Montgomery, after the latest survey warned any further deterioration of the ship could “trigger the unexploded ordnance”.
The Ministry of Defence says the nearby oil and gas facilities in Sheerness are threatened and that if the wreck exploded, “it would throw a 300m wide column of water and debris nearly 3,000m into the air and generate a wave 5m high”.
The most recent Department for Transport survey found the ship’s three masts are in a poor state and are deteriorating.
The MoD has warned that if one or all of the ship’s masts collapse, the unexploded ordnance still located in the forward holds could detonate. Accordingly, Navy specialists have been tasked with safely removing the masts.
The final clearance operation is due to start in June next year and should last two months, according to MoD planners.
An MoD document seen by The Telegraph states that in the worst case, “the masts collapse or the operation to remove them causes them to do so causing an explosion impacting the local area including the nearby oil and gas facilities in Sheerness leading to mass damage and potential loss of life”.
Bomb disposal experts from the Royal Navy and 29 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group are working with the MoD’s Salvage and Marine Operations project team to make the wreck safe

 

[FWB]

The Royal Navy has been called in to dismantle a sunken warship in the River Thames, as the latest assessment says 1,400 tonnes of unstable explosives on board could cause “mass damage and loss of life”.
Bomb disposal experts trained in underwater demolitions have been tasked with making safe the SS Richard Montgomery, after the latest survey warned any further deterioration of the ship could “trigger the unexploded ordnance”.
The Ministry of Defence says the nearby oil and gas facilities in Sheerness are threatened and that if the wreck exploded, “it would throw a 300m wide column of water and debris nearly 3,000m into the air and generate a wave 5m high”.
The most recent Department for Transport survey found the ship’s three masts are in a poor state and are deteriorating.
The MoD has warned that if one or all of the ship’s masts collapse, the unexploded ordnance still located in the forward holds could detonate. Accordingly, Navy specialists have been tasked with safely removing the masts.
The final clearance operation is due to start in June next year and should last two months, according to MoD planners.
An MoD document seen by The Telegraph states that in the worst case, “the masts collapse or the operation to remove them causes them to do so causing an explosion impacting the local area including the nearby oil and gas facilities in Sheerness leading to mass damage and potential loss of life”.
Bomb disposal experts from the Royal Navy and 29 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group are working with the MoD’s Salvage and Marine Operations project team to make the wreck safe

 

[MoodySabre]

A friend has asked me to take him out to see the wreck and the Maunsell forts. I shall have to do this before June. Thanks for the date - I knew it was planned.

They built the oil and gas terminal after the ship was wrecked. Forward thinking non-existent.

 

[Thistle]

Given earlier decisions not to interfere with the wreck and its cargo, wasn't it pretty much inevitable that we would eventually reach this situation where the work has to be done on an increasingly unstable wreck with cargo which has deteriorated to an unknown state and important shore-side facilities which have been built since she went down?

 

[jamie N]

The final clearance operation is due to start in June next year and should last two months, according to MoD planners.

Aye; right.
Edit: Correction, I misread it and 'imagined' that they'd get rid of the ordnance, and not just the masts.
It could happen.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

However as even small boats were shepherded away from the wreck location due to cargo instability, clearance might last minutes but would remove that unsightly place known as Sheerness.

A thought for me as a swam off Southend some years ago.

 

[Elessar]

A friend has asked me to take him out to see the wreck and the Maunsell forts. I shall have to do this before June. Thanks for the date - I knew it was planned.

They built the oil and gas terminal after the ship was wrecked. Forward thinking non-existent.

The Montgomery.


The forts.

 

[Tomahawk]

According to the Torygraph today, the Navy are going to remove the Monty.
It always gave me a sense of wonder passing so close to so much potential bang.

 

[RivalRedwing]

I had the same opinion of the nuke at Bradwell ;-)

 

[xyachtdave]

Isn’t it just the masts? Still a chance for a bang…

 

[Cantata]

Yes, Torygraph is wrong if that’s what it says. It’s just the masts being removed.

 

[oldgit]

Obviously a slow news week. Ye olde news to us locals . We are all going to ?????? within a 10 K/25K/50K radius, depending on which dead tree news source you take.
A lot of hard work here to resuscitate this corpse of a story.

This invariably is followed by the stunning and amazing (re)discovery of SCORPIONS in the curtain wall of Sheerness Dockyard.
First spotted around 300 years ago and hot news .
BBC - Kent - Nature - Sheerness scorpions

The Montgomery tsunami should reach me in about 60 seconds, should I move everything upstairs now .
file:///C:/Users/admin/Downloads/ntom-no-41-of-2021-ss-richard-montgomery-hydrographic-survey.pdf

 

[MoodySabre]

I have been there and seen them several times.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

I have attempted salvage on a pirate radio generator on Shivering Sands Fort. They still had the walkways between them then but crossing from one to the other was worrying

 

[Applescruffs]

Monty ?

sorry guys I’m in the dark here.

Cheers.

 

[Cantata]

Monty ?
sorry guys I’m in the dark here.
Cheers.

The WWII wreck of the Liberty Ship 'Richard Montgomery', off Sheerness with umpteen hundred tons of untouchable HE on board. They are going to remove the masts, carefully one hopes, to remove the risk of one collapsing and setting it all off.

 

[Applescruffs]

Thanks for clearing that up.

I’ve only been past it once, I have to say that the masts etc poking out of the water give the wreck a certain eerie presence and a definite reminder what is down there,(and where it is !), and a big hint to keep well away.

it would be a shame to lose the masts but I suppose it had to be done one day….. let’s hope the guys that do it are wearing their hi-vis jackets and hard hats…. that should keep ‘em safe in case someone lights a fag ?

 

[johnalison]

I still think it would be cheaper to build a coffer dam/blast wall around it and set the damned thing off. The television rights would pay for the damage.

 

[seivadnehpets]

What will I sail my dinghy round?
Perhaps we could have some sort of memorial in its place? But I suppose the risk assessment would new too onerous if the explosives remain in position.

 

[Capt Popeye]

Fred Drift ere ; might ask , are the many boats /vessels moored within say the area Cliff to Sheerness covered on their Craft Insurance ? Is the Monty a declareable Risk Factor by any chance ?

Just asking

I not recall my craft insurance whilst at Rochester declaring it ; but then of course there was the Dockyard spoils and derbrie dumped in that Creek ?