Engineers perform delicate operation on explosives-packed World War II shipwreck, but bombs remain in place

Key Points:

• A delicate operation to remove the three rusting masts from the SS Richard Montgomery, an 82-year-old U.S. shipwreck carrying tons of World War II explosives near Sheerness, England, has been successfully completed ahead of schedule and under budget.
• The shipwreck, located about 1.5 miles off the Sheerness coast in the Thames Estuary, still contains an estimated 1,500 tons of explosives, posing a potential risk of explosion that could impact London and surrounding areas.
• The removal of the masts was necessary due to their deterioration and risk of collapse, which could have triggered a detonation of the fused munitions inside the wreck.
• Engineers used specialized, remotely operated underwater tools to safely cut and lift the masts without disturbing the wreck or endangering workers, and the masts will be preserved and displayed at the Historic Dockyard Chatham museum.
• The UK government continues to maintain an exclusion zone around the wreck and will monitor it continuously, while experts assess the low but unpredictable risk of an explosion from the remaining explosives.