Masts removed from WWII wreck carrying 1,400 tonnes of explosives in Thames estuary

Engineers have removed the masts of the SS Richard Montgomery, a WWII cargo ship laden with unexploded munitions, from the Thames estuary.

• Maritime minister Keir Mather told the Commons on Monday that all three masts were removed ahead of schedule and below the forecast £9.5m cost.
• Mather said the masts had placed significant load on the wreck and their removal reduces explosion risk.
• The vessel, sunk in 1944 with roughly 1,400 tonnes of munitions, remains under an exclusion zone and continuous monitoring.
• The masts have been delivered to the Historic Dockyard Chatham museum in Kent.