World War II Shipwreck Still Packs a Nuclear-Sized Bang

This story is not new, per se; it involves an American Liberty Ship that sank in shallow water off the coast of England during World War II while carrying 7,000 tons of explosives.

But it's a story that remains extremely current, because that ship, the SS Richard Montgomery, still rests in the very spot where it sank, with 1,400 tons of explosives still in its cargo holds. The ship remains under very close supervision, because to this day the British are deathly afraid that the wreck might explode. And rightly so; if the Montgomery were to go boom, it would unleash a blast with the force of a small nuclear weapon, throwing water 10,000 feet into the air and damaging buildings up to 2 miles away.

What went wrong? Britain's Maritime and Coastguard Agency summarizes:

In August 1944 the ship was loaded with a cargo of some 7000 tons of munitions and joined convoy HX-301 bound for the UK and then on to Cherbourg. On arrival in the Thames Estuary, the vessel was directed to anchor in the Great Nore anchorage off Sheerness. The ship was to await the formation of convoy to continue the journey across the Channel. However, on the 20 August 1944, she dragged her anchor in the shallow water and grounded on a sandbank running east from the Isle of Grain approximately 250m north of the Medway Approach Channel.

The vessel grounded amidships on the crest of the sandbank and intensive efforts began to unload her in order to lighten the vessel so that she could be refloated and also to save the cargo of munitions that were vital for the Allies post-D-Day advancement. Unfortunately, by the next day, a crack appeared in the hull and the forward end began to flood. The salvage effort continued until the 25 September, by which time approximately half the cargo had been successfully removed. The salvage effort had to be abandoned when the vessel finally flooded completely.

The wreck of the SS RICHARD MONTGOMERY remains on the sandbank where she sank. The wreck lies across the tide close to the Medway Approach Channel and her masts are clearly visible above the water at all states of the tide. There are still approximately 1,400 tons of explosives contained within the forward holds.

Today the Montgomery sits at the center of a prohibited zone, ringed by warning buoys, and under constant surveillance.

There's no plan to dispose of the wreck, or its cargo, apart from keeping fingers crossed. This video provides a good tour of the wreck site, and a graphic demonstration of what may happen if things go awry:

IMAGES: Ian Boyle,