SS Richard Montgomery

	Visible masts of the wreck in October 2014; they were later removed in September 2026
History
United States
Name	Richard Montgomery
Namesake	Richard Montgomery
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Agwilines Inc.
Ordered	As type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 1199
Builder	St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida
Cost	$2,239,026
Yard number	7
Way number	1
Laid down	15 March 1943
Launched	15 June 1943
Sponsored by	Mrs. Rockwell
Completed	29 July 1943
Identification	Call sign: KOAA; ;
Fate	Grounded on 20 August 1944 then broke in half and sank on 25 August
General characteristics
Class & type	Liberty ship; type EC2-S-C1, standard;
Tonnage	10,865 LT DWT; 7,176 GRT;
Displacement	3,380 long tons (3,434 t) (light); 14,245 long tons (14,474 t) (max);
Length	441 feet 6 inches (135 m) oa; 416 feet (127 m) pp; 427 feet (130 m) lwl;
Beam	57 feet (17 m)
Draft	27 ft 9.25 in (8.4646 m)
Installed power	2,500 hp (1,900 kW)
Propulsion	2 × Oil fired 450 °F (232 °C) boilers, operating at 220 psi (1,500 kPa); 1 × triple-expansion steam engine; 1 × screw propeller;
Speed	11.5 knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph)
Capacity	562,608 cubic feet (15,931 m3) (grain); 499,573 cubic feet (14,146 m3) (bale);
Complement	38–62 USMM; 21–40 USNAG;
Armament	Bow-mounted 3-inch (76 mm)/50-caliber gun; Stern-mounted 4-inch (102 mm)/50-caliber gun; 2–8 × single 20-millimeter (0.79 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft (AA) cannons and/or,; 2–8 × 37-millimeter (1.46 in) M1 AA guns;

The SS Richard Montgomery was an American ship built during World War II. Montgomery was wrecked off the coast of Sheerness, near Kent, England in 1944 with around 1,400 tonnes of explosives on board, which continue to be a hazard to the area.

Controversy

Montgomery sank in the Thames estuary on August 20, 1944. It was loaded with 15,000 tons of explosive munitions. The Admiralty decided to leave the wreck and its dangerous cargo untouched. The wreck lies just a few hundred yards offshore between an oil refinery and the several towns. Southend-on-Sea is just a couple of miles away on the other side of the Thames estuary. Rumors about the ship and its cargo have spread in these towns ever since. Denials have been issued by ministers in the House of Commons in response to MPs questions about the fact biological, chemical and gas warheads are on board. Nevertheless, rumors continue that the real reason the wreck was not made safe was because of the fact of "dirty weapons" being on board.

References

↑ St. John's River SBC 2010.
1 2 Gerhardt.
↑ Davies 2004, p. 23.
1 2 "Report on the Wreck of the SS Richard Montgomery" (PDF). Maritime and Coastguard Agency. November 2000. pp. 21–22.

Other websites

Information on the SS Richard Montgomery

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[FOOTNOTESt._John's_River_SBC2010-1] St. John's River SBC 2010.

[FOOTNOTEGerhardt-2] 1 2 Gerhardt.

[FOOTNOTEDavies200423-3] Davies 2004, p. 23.

[mca2000-4] 1 2 "Report on the Wreck of the SS Richard Montgomery" (PDF). Maritime and Coastguard Agency. November 2000. pp. 21–22.