EXCLUSIVE Life in the 'death zone': Locals in Sheerness SHOULD be worried about living next to shipwrecked WW2 boat filled with bombs, experts say

Daily Mail​

10 hours ago

For 81 years, the small coastal town of Sheerness has waited with baited breath.
In that time, multiple generations of islanders have lived, died and thrived in the deprived town never dwelling on the looming danger a few miles off their sparkling coastline.
But the threat which lurks beneath the waves just a few yards from their island community has been ever present and experts fear time could soon be running out.
The threat which haunts the plucky residents of Sheerness isn't an existential one, it's terrifyingly real and would have an almost apocalyptic impact on the town.
To put it quite simply, if the WW2 vessel the SS Montgomery, which sank off the coast in 1944 carrying an estimated 1,4000 tonnes of explosives, is disturbed or decays enough to detonate, it could wipe the town off the face of the earth.
Experts and doomsday critics have long hypothesized precisely what the impact on the Kentish town would be, with some drawing up blast radius maps and before and after pictures.
All of them agree on one thing though, the impact would be catastrophic. In the event of a detonation it is thought that debris from the wreck would be hurled up to 1.8 miles into the air with the resulting shockwave damaging buildings for miles around.
Sheerness would be levelled by this wave and then drowned under a tsunami which experts fear could be 30-40ft high. A smaller tsunami could also barrel its way up the Thames towards London, destroying everything in its path.
The stakes then, couldn't be higher, and as time moves on and the wreck's condition further deteriorates, locals on Sheerness dread to hear any updates at all from the stricken ship - the masts of which are clearly visible from the shoreline at low tide.
This week, an ominous new survey of the 'doomsday wreck' revealed that the wreckage was edging closer to collapse prompting the government to introduce a stricter no fly-zone around the site.
The wreckage has long been subject to a strict maritime exclusion zone enforced by the Ministry of Defence.
The new order has been made to stop aircraft flying within one nautical mile of the sunken remains of the vessel or fly lower than 13,100ft in the restricted airspace.
The DfT said following expert advice, work continues on the project to reduce the height the ship's three steel masts over fears they could become unstable and fall onto the wreck.
This is expected to be in place within the next year, with works to follow as soon as possible.
The DfT says it has responded to this by implementing the Restriction of Flying (RoF).
However locals living in what has come to be known as 'the death zone' are demanding more answers and a permanent solution to the issue of the wreck, which prominent defence experts believe is one of the gravest threats to UK security.
The people of Sheerness, which has a population of just 25,000 are a hardy folk who none could accuse of lacking a sense of humour.
The town even boasts a mural which depicts a mermaid sitting in front of the masts protruding from the sea – saying: 'Welcome to Sheerness. You'll have a blast.'
However when MailOnline visited the town this week in the wake of the latest news, we found a population living on a knife edge.
Hannah Dixon, 38, who works in a popular seaside cafe revealed: 'It's frightening. Years ago I watched a documentary that's said basically only Minster on the other side of the island would be left if it went kaboom.
'It's a subconscious fear, because it has been there for years and nothing has happened, but I do worry about it.
'They have put in this no fly zone which I don't really understand, I didn't think anything flew over there, but I suppose it's to do with the masts.
'Basically if the masts fall they could set it off. I just think they should leave it alone to be honest.
'Not only are they putting the workers lives at risk, they're putting all our lives at risk.'
Grey Scott, 39, a former soldier who now runs a tattoo parlour on the island said: 'I don't fear it, given my background, but it's not something I would tell my kids about because I know it will make them worry.
'It is scary, of course, if it went off the whole high street would be flooded, so it is a worry.
'There have been talks of doing something about the masts in the past but nothing ever happens.
'I also think with that things could go wrong and could cause a bigger problem - it's a risk.
'It's definitely not something I want my kids to learn about, there are enough scary things in the world.'
Andreea Pachciarek, 24, who has a one year old son, said: 'I've lived here for 10 years, and I only started worrying about it after I had my kid.
'Before I never really thought about it but now, especially with the no fly zone, it makes me think about moving off the island.
'I don't have sleepless nights but it is a fear because it would be so bad if it went off. I'm more worried about how close ships seem to be getting to it.
'There's the buoys around it but there's one out there at the moment that looks so close to the wreck.
'It definitely is scary.'
Earlier last week, terrified residents watched from the shoreline as a huge cargo ship was seen terrifyingly close to the wreckage.
The islander who took the picture told KentOnline at the time it was like 'looking at doomsday' - though it was later confirmed the boat did not breach the strict exclusion zone.
Ron O'Beray, 78, who has lived in Sheerness for 70 years told MailOnline: 'They say if it goes off the whole island will be covered in water and every window will break.
'If that happened obviously it would be devastating but I am not sure it will. It's been here all the time I have, seven decades, and it has never happened. Surely by now the bombs will be corroded?'
Sadly, the cargo of the Montgomery is anything but docile, numerous experts fear.
Prior to the fateful day in 1944, the 7,200-tonne American vessel had safely crossed the Atlantic on convoy HX-301 without incident and was ordered to anchor off Sheerness.
It was carrying some 7,000 tonnes of munitions and it was due to carry on to Cherbourg to unload its cargo.
Then, on August 20, 1944, the Montgomery dragged her anchor and ran aground on a sandbank around 250 yards from the Medway Approach Channel eventually sinking with her full cargo.
On the day she sank, the Montgomery was likely carrying a terrifying array of US bombs including 286 giant 2,000lb 'blockbuster' bombs, 4,439 explosive devices and over 2,500 cluster bombs.
These concern security experts the most, as because they are transported with their fuses attached they are more prone to detonation.
Speaking to the MailOnline, former British Army intelligence officer Colonel Phillip Ingram revealed that whilst the wreck is safe from a 'fanatic with a sniper', it remained a point of weakness for the UK against hostile foreign states.
He explained: 'The real threat is that a hostile state wants to do something about it. They could do it under water from afar with a submersible bomb.
'The blast damage it would cause would be phenomenal. It would be a hell of a big bang - but would it really achieve anything? People in Sheerness are living on the edge, every window in the town would be devastated.
'It is clear that the authorities are becoming increasingly concerned about this. The latest report on it hasn't yet been made available to the public yet, which makes me think that they don't want us to know how risky this is.
'Nobody knows what to do with it. Going anywhere near it to remove them could potentially become a suicide mission.'
These thoughts are shared by Professor David Alexander, an expert in risk management and emergency planning, who this week told LBC that the wreck was a 'reckless sitting duck' and a 'ready-made target.'
He said: 'The Montgomery is not inert – it is at risk. It's sat just 2.4km from Sheerness and 200 metres from a shipping lane used by LNG carriers and giant container vessels. In today's environment, that's reckless.'
MailOnline has approached the Ministry of Defence and Department for Transport for further comment.
What's the latest on the wreck's condition?
A new survey of the ship has revealed the hull itself is deteriorating, with several alarming changes detected in the year since the last survey.
One problem flagged up by the survey is that the front half of the ship – which broke in two as it sank – is slowly tipping over, tilting half a metre further eastward in two years.
More decay was observed in the second cargo hold, where the upper port side has cracked, and the lower starboard side has become 'significantly buckled'.
This has caused part of the deck above to start collapsing into the hold, with the hatch supports in this area dropping by up to 17cm in a year.
All told, it looks like 'the forward part of the wreck is splitting in two,' the new report states.
The back end of the wreck is in similar trouble.
The survey says: 'Like the forward section, the rear section is hogging and potentially breaking in two about halfway along its length.'
Further deterioration was detected where the front and back of the wreck split apart.
'This area was left unsupported when the ship broke in two back in 1944,' the report says.
'Consequently, it has been badly affected by wave and current action and is steadily collapsing and falling into the gap between the two halves of the vessel.'
If the seabed is anything to go by, the worst is yet to come.
The report warns: 'The degree to which the bow and stern may be being undercut as the supporting sediment is eroded away is a potential concern.'
One area of seabed close to the wreck was found to have dipped by 1.6m in a year.
The front of the ship has now been 'undercut to the degree where it has started to move', according to the findings.
A 1970 report from the Royal Military College of Science predicted what would happen if the whole explosive cache detonated at once.
It would unleash a column of water and debris 3,000 metres high, and a five-metre tsunami, engulfing nearby Sheerness, the report said.
Also in the firing line is Southend, which lies some five miles north of the wreck site.
Daniel Cowan, leader of Southend Council, is looking for answers.
He said: 'According to the experts, the wreck of the Montgomery remains stable.
'So I understand that the no-fly zone that's been put in is a precautionary measure.
'But we are seeking further clarity around the long term plans for the wreck.
'What we'd like more than anything is clarity, to understand what the long-term plans are.'
The Department for Transport, the ministry responsible for the wreck, said the no-fly zone had been implemented on expert advice and would remain in place until further notice.
A spokesperson said: 'Our priority will always be to ensure the safety of the public and to reduce any risk posed by the SS Richard Montgomery.
'The condition of the wreck remains stable, and experts are continuing to monitor the site.
'As part of their ongoing monitoring, they have updated advice on how authorities can further minimise risk.
'They have recommended that pilots and operators do not fly in a limited area around and above the site as specified by the Civil Aviation Authority.'
What is the SS Montgomery and why is it dangerous?
The SS Richard Montgomery was a US Liberty Ship built in 1943 to transport cargo across the Atlantic
The 7,200-tonne vessel safely crossed the Atlantic on convoy HX-301 without incident and was ordered to anchor off Sheerness.
The vessel was carrying some 7,000 tonnes of munitions and it was due to carry on to Cherbourg to unload its cargo.
However, on August 20, 1944, the Montgomery dragged her anchor and ran aground on a sandbank around 250 yards from the Medway Approach Channel.
A major salvage operation was launched to unload the vessel's deadly cargo although, within 24 hours cracks began appearing across the hull and the forward areas began flooding.
By September 25, the salvage operation had to be abandoned after the entire vessel flooded.
The Richard Montgomery was one of 2,700 Liberty ships built during the war.