Overview

• The SS Richard Montgomery ran aground off Sheerness in August 1944 carrying around 7,000 tons of munitions, with 1,400 tons still lodged in its forward holds.
• A WEC Lines container ship was recently sighted edging toward the marked exclusion zone around the wreck, prompting fresh concerns from local residents.
• The Maritime and Coastguard Agency performs regular sonar and radar monitoring to detect any changes in the wreck’s structure or surrounding seabed.
• Officials assert the likelihood of a major detonation is remote and describe the hull as stable despite showing signs of slow environmental deterioration.
• A 1970 Royal Military College of Science report warned that an explosion of the remaining explosives could trigger a tsunami over 3,000 metres high and devastate nearby Sheerness.