Resolve Marine has begun cutting and lifting the three steel masts from the World War II Liberty ship Richard Montgomery in the Thames Estuary.
The company announced the start of the operation on Tuesday, September 29. The UK Department for Transport appointed Resolve Marine in April 2026 following six years of planning that included annual wreck surveys.
The wreck lies about 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometres) off Sheerness, close to the Medway Approach Channel, and still contains around 1,400 tons of munitions in its forward holds. Removing the masts is intended to reduce strain on the deck plating and prevent these from collapsing onto the cargo.
Resolve Marine said its engineers and divers have been cutting and lifting the masts using a method informed by technical evaluations and an independent review to maintain the wreck’s stability.
The Department for Transport’s July announcement described plans for an underwater platform from which specialist engineers could cut the masts below sea level over several weeks. It said independent expert advice had concluded the operation could proceed without increasing the risk from the explosives.
A group of experts advised removing the masts in 2018. Preparatory surveys in the autumn of 2022 identified legacy munitions beneath the seabed, and the project was paused in 2023 while the department considered how to manage that risk.
In April 2026, the government said it had expanded its survey programme and revised its worst-case modelling. Annual surveys showed no significant worsening of the wreck, and the government described the risk of an incident as low.
The masts will be taken to the Historic Dockyard Chatham for conservation before being made available for local public display. Discussions about their longer-term home were continuing when the department announced the arrangements in July.
Built in 1943, the 7,146GT US Liberty ship was carrying about 7,000 tons of munitions, bound for the UK and then Cherbourg, when it dragged its anchor and grounded on a sandbank on August 20, 1944. Its hull cracked the following day and the forward section began flooding.
Salvage continued until September 25, when the vessel had flooded completely and about half the cargo had been removed. The remaining munitions are outside the scope of the mast removal work.
The wreck is protected under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973.
Medway Ports provides 24-hour radar surveillance and maintains warning notices and buoys. The no-entry exclusion zone will remain in place after the work.