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https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/202...uld-cause-mass
Sunken warship in River Thames with explosives on board could cause ‘mass damage and loss of life’
SS Richard Montgomery to be dismantled by Royal Navy after warnings that further deterioration could cause devices to detonate
By
Dominic Nicholls,
DEFENCE AND SECURITY EDITOR
29 December 2021 • 7:59pm
Sunken warship in River Thames with explosives on board could cause ‘mass damage and loss of life’
The SS Richard Montgomery, an American Liberty ship carrying a cargo of munitions during the Second World War, was wrecked on the Nore sandbank in the Thames Estuary, near Sheerness, in August 1944
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 SS Richard Montgomery, an American Liberty ship carrying a cargo of munitions during the Second World War, was wrecked on the Nore sandbank in the Thames Estuary, near Sheerness, in August 1944.
About 1,400 tonnes of explosives remain on board. A no-entry exclusion zone extends around the wreck.
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 SS Richard Montgomery in Sheerness, Kent, which has 1,400 tonnes of explosives still onboard
The SS Richard Montgomery in Sheerness, Kent, which has 1,400 tonnes of explosives still onboard CREDIT: James Bell / Alamy Stock Photo
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.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency says the risk of a “major explosion” is “remote”.
Medway Ports is responsible for marking and guarding the wreck for the agency. Warning notices are fastened to the masts and a circle of buoys around the wreck ensures shipping avoids the area.
The wreck is also under 24-hour radar surveillance by Medway Ports, whose operations room is within sight of the wreck.
High-resolution multibeam sonar surveys of the wreck have been conducted on a regular basis since 2002.
Until 1984, surveys were carried out by MoD salvage divers. Remote sonar technology was employed from 1993.
Divers were again employed on site during the 2003 survey to undertake ultrasonic hull thickness analysis, as well as to provide an up-to-date assessment of the level of seabed support of the wreck and of a large crack in one of the main holds. A hull thickness survey was repeated in 2013.
The shipwreck is surveyed at low water by the Thames Guardian
Shipwreck is surveyed at low water by the Thames Guardian CREDIT: James Bell/Alamy Stock Photo /James Bell/Alamy Stock Photo
Lieutenant General Ian Cave, Commander Home Command and Standing Joint Command (UK), is responsible for “resilience operations” through the provision of Military Aid to the Civil Authorities (MACA).
Military assistance is ‘broad-ranging’
Lt Gen Cave told the Telegraph such assistance was “broad-ranging” and could include advisory support to the SS Richard Montgomery task, as well as rapid relief following extreme weather.
Other MACA tasks include the provision of military security at major events and bomb disposal operations, called Explosive Ordnance Disposal.
Most visible in recent months are duties undertaken as part of Operation Rescript – the MoD’s support to NHS - with hundreds of personnel deployed around the UK administering Covid booster jabs.
Lt Gen Cave said: “The tasks we are asked to undertake are extremely varied and it stands as testament to the dedicated men and women from all three services that they’re able to adapt and respond to requests effectively and at pace.
“This Christmas period will see over 1,300 personnel on duty.
“In addition to the EOD teams on permanent stand-by, several thousand other servicemen and women remain at readiness.
“I’m extremely proud of the contribution they’ve made – and continue to make – to keep us safe, especially at this time when their service requires them to be away from home. They deserve our gratitude and thanks”.
