Engineers remove masts from bomb-laden WWII wreck in Thames estuary

Engineers have removed all three masts from the wreck of the SS Richard Montgomery in the Thames estuary, UK maritime minister Keir Mather told the House of Commons.

The American Second World War ship sank in 1944 with about 1,400 tonnes of munitions on board. A defence agency report estimated the wreck still holds almost 300 2,000lb blockbuster bombs and more than 2,000 cluster bombs, The Guardian.

The masts were cut away because of concern that they could fall onto the explosive cargo and trigger an explosion. The work involved building an underwater platform so specialist maritime engineers could cut the three structures safely, according to government project material, GOV.UK.

Mather said the operation cost an estimated £9.5 million and was finished ahead of schedule and below forecast costs. The removed masts have been delivered to the Historic Dockyard Chatham, a maritime museum, for conservation.

The wreck remains under continuous monitoring, with an established exclusion zone controlling access to the area around it. Its masts had been visible from Kent and Essex, and the plan to remove them had been years in preparation, BBC.