The SS Richard Montgomery was an American Liberty ship built during World War II, one of the 2,710 used to carry cargo during the war. Montgomery was wrecked off the coast of Kent in 1944 with around 1,500 tons of explosives on board, which continue to be a hazard to the area. The Liberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. They were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... This article is about the county in England. ... This article is concerned solely with chemical explosives. ...

History

The ship was built in 1943 by the St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, (Est. 1942), and was the seventh of the 82 such ships built by this yard. The ship was completed July 1943, given the official ship number 243756, and named after Richard Montgomery, a celebrated Irish-American soldier of the American Revolutionary War. 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... An engraving depicting the death of General Montgomery at the Battle of Quebec. ... Combatants American Revolutionaries French Monarchy Spanish Empire Dutch Republic Oneida and Tuscarora tribes Polish volunteers Prussian volunteers Kingdom of Great Britain Hessian mercenaries Iroquois Confederacy Loyalists Commanders George Washington Nathanael Greene Gilbert de La Fayette Comte de Rochambeau Bernardo de Gálvez Tadeusz Kościuszko Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben Sir...

In August 1944, on what was to be her final voyage, the ship left Hog Island, Philadelphia, where she had been loaded with 6,127 tons of munitions[1]. 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Hog island the historic name of an area southwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania along the Delaware River, to the west of the mouth of the Schuylkill River. ... Nickname: City of Brotherly Love, Philly, the Cradle of Liberty, the City That Loves You Back, the Quaker City, The Birthplace of America Motto: Philadelphia maneto - Let brotherly love continue Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Philadelphia Founded October 27, 1682 Incorporated October 25, 1701 Government... Munition is often defined as a synonyn for ammunition. ...

• 13,064 general purpose 250 lb (113 kg) bombs filled with TNT
• 9,022 cases of fragmentation bombs
• 7,739 semi-armour-piercing bombs
• 1,522 cases of fuses
• 1,429 cases of phosphorus bombs
• 1,427 cases of 100 lb (45 kg) demolition bombs
• 817 cases of small arms ammunition
• 240 mustard gas bombs

She made her way from the Delaware river to the Thames estuary, then anchored while awaiting the formation of a convoy to travel to Cherbourg, France, which had already fallen to the Allies (on July 27, 1944) during the Battle of Normandy. The Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) bomb produced in the United States. ... R-phrases S-phrases Related Compounds Related compounds picric acid hexanitrobenzene Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 Â°C, 100 kPa) Infobox disclaimer and references Trinitrotoluene (TNT) is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. ... General Name, Symbol, Number phosphorus, P, 15 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 15, 3, p Appearance waxy white/ red/ black/ colorless Standard atomic weight 30. ... Small arms captured in Fallujah, Iraq by the US Marine Corps in 2004 The term small arms generally describes any number of smaller infantry weapons, such as firearms that an individual soldier can carry. ... Boxes of ammunition clog a warehouse in Baghdad Ammunition is a generic military term meaning (the assembly of) a projectile and its propellant. ... Airborne exposure limit 0. ... For the Delaware River in Kansas, see Delaware River (Kansas) The Delaware River is a river on the Atlantic coast of the United States. ... Several places exist with the name Thames, and the word is also used as part of several brand and company names Most famous is the River Thames in England, on which the city of London stands Other Thames Rivers There is a Thames River in Canada There is a Thames... Estuaries and coastal waters are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth, providing ecological, economic, cultural, and aesthetic benefits. ... A convoy is a group of vehicles traveling together for mutual support. ... Cherbourg is a city of Normandy, in northwestern France, in the Manche département, of which it is a sous_préfecture. ... Look up ally in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... July 27 is the 208th day (209th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 157 days remaining. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Combatants United States United Kingdom Canada Free France Poland Germany Commanders Dwight Eisenhower (Supreme Allied Commander) Bernard Montgomery (land) Bertram Ramsay (sea) Trafford Leigh-Mallory (air) Omar Bradley (US 1st Army) Miles Dempsey (UK 2nd Army) Harry Crerar (Canadian 1st Army) Gerd von Rundstedt (OB WEST) Erwin Rommel (Heeresgruppe B...

When she arrived off Southend she came under the authority of the Thames naval control at HMS Leigh, located at the end of the Southend Pier. It was then the harbour master, responsible for all shipping movements in the estuary who ordered Montgomery to a berth off the north edge of Sheerness middle sands, where she ran aground in a depth of 24 ft. of water at low tide. Southend-on-Sea is a resort town in Essex, England. ... Southend pier from the land Southend Pier is a major landmark in Southend-on-Sea. ... In many countries, a harbourmaster is an official responsible for enforcing the regulations of a particular harbour or port, in order to ensure the safety of navigation, the security of the harbour and the orderly operation of the port facilities. ... Estuaries and coastal waters are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth, providing ecological, economic, cultural, and aesthetic benefits. ... Map sources for Sheerness at grid reference TQ919749 Sheerness is a town on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, England. ...

The general dry cargo liberty ship had an average draught of 28 ft (8.5 m), Montgomery was trimmed to a draught of 31 ft (9.4 m) however, and at low water, at the height of a spring tide with a northerly wind it was inevitable the ship would run aground at its shallow mooring.

On August 20, 1944, the ship ran aground and broke her back on sand banks near the British Isle of Sheppey around 1.5 miles from Sheerness and 5 miles from Southend. August 20 is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... View towards Minster from Elmley Marshes The Isle of Sheppey is a small (36 square miles, 94 km²) island off the northern coast of Kent, England in the Thames Estuary, some 38 miles (62km) to the east of central London. ... Map sources for Sheerness at grid reference TQ919749 Sheerness is a town on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, England. ... Southend is the name of a number of locations: Southend-on-Sea is the name of a town in Essex, UK Southend, Kintyre is the name of a village in Kintyre, Scotland This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the...

A Rochester-based Stevedore Company was given the job of removing the cargo, which began August 23, 1944 using the ship's own cargo handling equipment. By the next day, the ship's hull had cracked, causing several cargo holds at the fore end to flood. The salvage operation continued until September 25, when the ship was finally abandoned. Subsequently, the ship broke into two separate parts, roughly in the mid-section. Rochester is a small town in Kent, at the lowest bridging point of the River Medway about 30 miles (50 km) from London. ... August 23 is the 235th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (236th in leap years), with 130 days remaining. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... September 25 is the 268th day of the year (269th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

During the enquiry that followed, it was revealed that several ships moored nearby had noticed Montgomery drifting toward the sandbank, that they had attempted to signal an alert by sounding their sirens without avail, that throughout this Captain Wilkie of the Montgomery was asleep, and that the chief officer was unable to explain why he had not alerted the captain.

However, the ultimate reason for the disaster lies with the harbour master, who was confident that his choice of berth for the ship was safe, despite objections by the assistant harbour master who tried to have it relocated, but was countermanded by his superior. Foley, the assistant, insisted upon a written confirmation of these instructions, which was refused; with this Foley left the office.

After the disaster, Foley was posted to another department, which prevented his attendance at the enquiry, and so obscured the fact that the ship was incompetently parked by the harbour master, who then refused to consider otherwise.

Current status

Due to the presence of the large quantity of unexploded ordnance, the ship is monitored by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. In 1973 it became the first wreck designated as dangerous under section 2 of the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 and there is an exclusion zone around it monitored visually and by radar. ^[1] The Maritime Agency nevertheless believe that the risk of a major explosion is remote ^[2]. The UK government's Receiver of Wreck commissioned a risk assessment in 1999, but this risk assessment has not been published (as reported in the New Scientist, 21 August 2004). The Maritime and Coast Guard Agency convened with local and port authorities to discuss the report in 2001 and concluded that "doing nothing was not an option for much longer". Unexploded ordnance (or UXOs/UXBs) are explosive weapons (bombs, shells, grenades, land mines, naval mines, etc. ... The Maritime and Coastguard Agencys Logo The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is a UK government agency working to prevent the loss of lives at searesponsible for implimenting maritime safety policy. ... The Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 (1973 c. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... This long range Radar antenna, known as ALTAIR, is used to detect and track space objects in conjunction with ABM testing at the Ronald Reagan Test Site on the Kwajalein atoll[1]. Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine and map the location, direction, and/or speed... New Scientist is a weekly international science magazine covering recent developments in science and technology for a general English-speaking audience. ... August 21 is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

3,173 tons of munitions containing 1,400 tons of TNT remain on the wreck. One of the reasons why the explosives have not been removed was the unfortunate outcome of a similar operation in July 1967 to neutralize the contents of the Keilce, a ship of Polish origin, sunk in 1946 off Folkestone in the English Channel. During preliminary work the Keilce, containing a comparable amount of ordnance, exploded with force equivalent to an earthquake measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale, digging a 20-foot-deep crater in the seabed and bringing "panic and chaos" to Folkestone, although no injuries. R-phrases S-phrases Related Compounds Related compounds picric acid hexanitrobenzene Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 Â°C, 100 kPa) Infobox disclaimer and references Trinitrotoluene (TNT) is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... Folkestone Harbour, picture taken from the golf court Folkestone (pronounced ) is a coastal resort town in the Shepway district of Kent, England. ... Satellite view of the English Channel The English Channel (French: (IPA: ), the sleeve) is the part of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the island of Great Britain from northern France and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. ... The Richter magnitude test scale (or more correctly local magnitude ML scale) assigns a single number to quantify the size of an earthquake. ... The seabed (also sea floor, seafloor, or ocean floor) is the bottom of the ocean. ...

According to a BBC news report ^[3], in 1970 it was determined that if the wreck of the SS Richard Montgomery exploded, it would throw a 1000 foot wide column of water and debris nearly 10,000 feet in the air and generate a wave 16 feet high. Almost every window in Sheerness (pop. c20,000) would be broken and buildings would be damaged by the blast. This article is an overview article about the Crown chartered British Broadcasting Corporation formed in 1927. ... Map sources for Sheerness at grid reference TQ919749 Sheerness is a town on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, England. ...

Critics of government assurances that the likelihood of a major explosion is remote argue that there is a possibility that over time a partially flooded fuse in at least one of the 2600 fused fragmentation devices will become less stable owing to its lead azide constituent reacting with water vapour (rather than liquid seawater) to form hydrazoic acid. This will react with copper in the detonating cap, to form extremely sensitive copper azide^[4]. A knock, such as caused by the ship breaking up further, or a collision on the busy shipping lane, could cause the copper azide to explode, triggering an explosive chain reaction resulting in the detonation of the bulk of the munitions. Lead azide (Pb(N3)2) is an explosive and toxic crystalline compound. ... Annual mean sea surface temperature for the World Ocean. ... Hydrazoic acid is a colorless, volatile, and extremely explosive liquid at room temperature and pressure. ...

Similarly, when the condition of the munitions was originally assessed there was concern that copper azide would be produced through reaction between the lead azide and copper from brass fuse components. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency argue that the fuses will probably have been flooded for many years and consequently the hazard is insignificant since these chemicals are water soluble ^[5] and will have been washed away. Copper(II) azide is a medium density explosive with the molecular formula Cu(N3)2. ...

The wreck site has been surveyed regularly since 1965 to determine the stability of the structure, with the most recent survey in September 2005. The results of this survey will be published in spring 2006 following analysis of the results and updating of the risk assessment ^[6]. The Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions has stated that it also needs to commission a survey of the munitions still on board; this survey has not been done yet. There are several uses of the word survey, relating to two primary meanings: land surveying; and statistical surveys of people or other items, such as animals, organisations, or messages. ...

References

• Turner, F.R. (1995). Wreck of the USS Richard Montgomery. ISBN 0-9524303-6-3. 
• Hamer, Mick (21 August 2004). "The doomsday wreck". New Scientist: 36-39. ISSN 1032-1233 Z. 

August 21 is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Footnotes

1. ^ Currently the only other similarly designated wreck is that of SS Castilian which sunk off Holyhead in 1943 whilst en route to Lisbon, and was designated in 1997 as a result of diver interference with its cargo of munitions. See Receiver of Wreck Annual Report 2003. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Retrieved on 2006 October 29.
2. ^ SS Richard Montgomery web page. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Retrieved on 2006 October 29.
3. ^ Wrecked warship is a 'timebomb'. BBC News (2004-08-19). Retrieved on 2006 October 29.
4. ^ Surrey Aquanauts Mouthpiece January 2005. Retrieved on 2006 October 29.
5. ^ A Survey of the Wreck of the SS Richard Montgomery - A Summary Report. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (1997). Retrieved on 2006 October 29.
6. ^ Parliamentary question on briefing notes of meetings about SS Richard Montgomery. Hansard. Retrieved on 2006 October 29.

SS Castilian was carrying a cargo of munitions to Lisbon when she struck East Platters Rocks, off Holyhead and on 12 February 1943 sank. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... October 29 is the 302nd day of the year (303rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... October 29 is the 302nd day of the year (303rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... October 29 is the 302nd day of the year (303rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... October 29 is the 302nd day of the year (303rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... October 29 is the 302nd day of the year (303rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... October 29 is the 302nd day of the year (303rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Maritime and Coastguard Agency website page, including links to survery reports
• River Thames Sites
• Men and ships of US Merchant marine (merchant navy)
• Links to historical information