All three masts are off the SS Richard Montgomery and at Chatham, the government told MPs on 19 October. The job beat its schedule; the exclusion zone stays.

The masts of the SS Richard Montgomery are gone. All three have been cut from the wartime wreck and taken to the Historic Dockyard Chatham, the government told the House of Commons on Monday.

For 82 years they were the part of the wreck everyone could see from Southend.

The maritime minister, Keir Mather, said in a written statement on 19 October that the project “has now been completed, with all 3 masts successfully removed and delivered to the Historic Dockyard Chatham” (Department for Transport).

He said the work was finished “ahead of schedule and below forecast costs”. The statement does not give a final cost or a completion date. The government had backed the project with £9.5 million when it was announced in July.

Why the masts came off

The Montgomery was an American Liberty ship. It sank in the Thames Estuary in 1944, 1.5 miles off Sheerness, carrying munitions for the Allied war effort. The minister’s statement puts what is still on board at an estimated 1,400 tonnes.

The masts were taken off on the advice of an expert advisory group. As the wreck has aged, the statement says, they “continued to place significant load on the structure”. Removing them has reduced that risk.

Ahead of the outside date

When the work started, there were two timetables. The government said in July it could be done by the end of September, weather permitting. The harbour authority’s notice to shipping booked the water for September and October, running to 31 October. We set both out in September, in Mast work runs into October.

The finish came inside the harbour authority’s window, before its end date.

Where the masts are now

The masts and other items recovered from the wreck are at the Historic Dockyard Chatham, in Kent, to be conserved. When the project was announced, the dockyard trust said the masts would become “a live conservation project”, giving visitors a chance “to watch specialist conservation in action” (Department for Transport, 14 July 2026).

The government said in July that discussions about their long-term home were ongoing. The plan it set out then was to display them somewhere in Kent. Monday’s statement does not say when or where.

What it means for you

  • The wreck has not gone. The hull and its explosives stay where they are.
  • The exclusion zone stays. The statement says the wreck will remain under “continuous monitoring and control via the established exclusion zone”. Entering it without permission is an offence under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973.
  • The flying restrictions stay too. The statement says existing restrictions on flying near the site “remain in force”. That includes drones.
  • If you are on the water, the same notices apply as before. Our September report has the VHF channels and Medway VTS contact numbers.
  • If you want to see the masts, they are now at Chatham. The government has not yet said when the public can view them.

Sources