When we imagine a shipwreck, one of the first thoughts that might come to our minds is the famous Titanic. Although one of the most popular ships to sink, it was not the only one. Numerous ships from cargo ships to wartime ships were sunken during the 1900s. Some harbored treasures, while some had remains of the unfortunate who were not able to escape their sinking fate. This ship, however, might have one of the most dangerous contents, that would devastate everything in its proximity.
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The sunken ship
This infamous ship is none other than the SS Richard Montgomery built in 1943 to transport war ammunitions around the world. All was going relatively well until 1944 when tragedy struck. The shipmet an unfortunate fate when it sunk after its front part was hit by a sand bed. A crack formed in the ship and steadily the water began to invade the indoors.
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.
— Aston Line Labour (@AstonLineLabour) December 30, 2021
The wreck is monitored by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
At the time of its sinking, the shipcontained 9,000 US-made explosives which weighed up to 1400 tones. The crew tried to salvage the ammunition, but as the water filled they had no option but to abandon and flee the ship. It has been in the depths of the Thames river, ever since it sunk.
Is the ship on verge of exploding?
Sometime after the wreck, the authorities suggested that it was best to leave the wreckage alone but as the years passed by and the ship began to corrode, things became risky. The ammunitions were stored in the lower half of the ship and the upper part started corroding.
Authorities were worried that when the corroded parts fell on the bombs, it would trigger a devastating explosion that can even cause a small tsunami which would destroy the nearby towns and villages. Hence, the Department for Transport decided to destroy the stray wreckage above the ship, in 2021.
However, the decision to do that has been delayed in order to investigate the impact that the explosion will have on the nearby areas in case the bombs do go off. They also want to analyze which areas would be affected the most, according to MSN.
Sources used:
MSN: 'Sunken ship in River Thames has 1,400 tonnes of unexploded bombs that could level the closest town and cause tsunami'
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