More than 700 ship wrecks are beneath England’s River Thames however none are as menacing because the SS Richard Montgomery.
While ready to affix a convoy of different provide vessels, stormy climate triggered the SS Richard Montgomery to tug anchor and flounder on a sandbank.
Despite a salvage operation transferring half of its cargo from the stranded vessel, efforts had been halted when its hull cracked and the ship utterly flooded.
Today, the wreck continues to relaxation on the sandbank, simply 2.5km from shore within the mouth of the busy Thames estuary. The ship masts are clearly seen above the water throughout all ranges of tide.
But it is what’s remaining underneath the waves that’s most regarding for authorities and native folks.
Officials estimate there are about 1400 tonnes of extremely lethal explosives within the ahead holds of the wreck.
A survey in 2000 by the UK authorities’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) discovered the ship probably accommodates greater than 9000 US-made explosives.
These embody 286 large 900kg ‘blockbuster’ bombs, greater than 2500 cluster bombs and 4439 different explosive units.
For years, consultants have warned if the wreck exploded it will create one of many largest non-nuclear explosions in historical past and degree the close by port of Sheerness which has 11,000 residents.
A detonation dangers triggering a “tsunami-like wave” which might sweep up the River Medway, flooding cities and villages.
There can be concern it will impression the River Thames, the UK’s busiest inland waterway.
Professor David Alexander, from University College London, is an professional in danger and catastrophe discount and has studied the SS Richard Montgomery intimately.
He instructed 9news.com.au an explosion would set off a “top event” involving a column of water and particles 3000 metres excessive.
“There have been various ship explosions in history that have reduced substantial vessels to small-scale debris, flung over a radius of kilometres,” Professor Alexander mentioned.
“However, the unknown quantity is whether all the bombs would explode at once. There could be a situation of smaller explosions producing instability and a high likelihood of further detonations.”
Professor Alexander additionally mentioned a report in 1970 by UK army consultants highlighted a possible five-metre excessive tsunami if the ship exploded.
While he believes the probabilities of one are small, a wave of water would trigger main harm.
“If one occurred, it would inundate the town of Sheerness and wash across the Isle of Grain petrochemicals and LNG storage facility, possibly catching fire and proceeding in flames up the River Thames towards central London,” Professor Alexander mentioned.
The hazards posed by the SS Richard Montgomery haven’t gone unnoticed by UK authorities.
The wreck is surrounded by an 800m exclusion zone and its is monitored 24 hours a day by maritime security officers.
And in 2023 the masts of the ship that stay above the waves are set to be minimize off and eliminated to minimise the danger of them falling onto the wreck beneath.
In November 2022, professional divers ended weeks of investigating probably the most hazardous elements of the vessel and clear any obstructions forward of the masts being trimmed.
Professor Alexander mentioned it’s important the explosives remaining within the SS Richard Montgomery are eliminated and factors to the success of the Canadian authorities in making World War II shipwrecks in its waters secure.
“It can be done … Rather than evacuating all the local population for six months, I think they should build temporary blast walls around Sheerness and the Isle of Grain, use robots and systematically take out the ordinance.”
Fossil reveals final meal of a dinosaur that lived 120 million years in the past
