Secret Bases & Hidden Places

SS Richard Montgomery

LONDON TSUNAMI ?

IT'S A REAL POSSIBILTY !

Flood

Did you ever watch the 2007 Film or the TV Series called Flood?.

The 'FICTIONAL' drama series depicted what would happen if a tidal wave was to hit London. It explained how the Thames Barrier is far too small and although slightly reducing the initial strength of the wave it would be totally ineffective protecting London against such a disaster.

The series at the time was fairly controversial, the Government do not want us to panic or believe that we are at any risk, nor see how they have done so very little over the years to ensure our safety and protect us, nor for us to find out what they have failed to deal with due to the cost.

So what has that film and TV series got to do with the shipwreck of the SS Richard Montgomery?

Read on and see for yourself

SS Richard Montgomery

Was one of 2,710 American Liberty Ships and was laid down on March 15th 1943, and she was launched on 15th June 1943 and named after General Richard Montgomery a soldier from Ulster who was killed during the American Revolution. But on the 20th August 1944 while waiting in the Thames Estuary she ran aground and was dragged 250 metres into the Medway.


Sitting on a Time Bomb !

On the 20th August 1944, an American Liberty Ship carrying 6000 tons of high explosives turned on her moorings just off the Isle of Sheppey, ran aground, cracked, and then sank in the Thames at the mouth of the River Medway.  On board it at the time was the following cargo of ammunitions

This is what is onboard

Although not officially recorded in the Montgomery's cargo manifest, similar Liberty vessels at the time were also carrying very large quantities of the very dangerous Mustard Gas.

There has been many conflicting reports about the Montgomery, some say that half of the explosives were removed on the night it happened, yet was this actually possible?. If there was insufficient crew and stevedores available at the time, and also a delay by the Stevedores due to them bartering for extra money,  then exactly who performed this removal and how? 


3000 tons or 6000 tons, it is still going to be one big bang !


Recently small fires have been seen above the Montgomery,


According to local sources on the Isle of Sheppey the fires are probably from wooden crates that held White phosphorus bombs and sheets disintegrating. The pieces of phosphorus which is water insoluble, float to the surface and are washed onto the superstructure of the wreck whereupon they dry out, come in contact with the air and then spontaneously burst into flame. These flares of light are very short lived so no traces remain after residue being washed by the sea. But there is another very real danger, that of pieces of it being washed up on the shore and then being picked up while wet. If it was in contact with the skin as it dried out then it would burn right down to the bone. If left in contact with other materials it could start a fire without warning.


The location of the wreck could not have been in a worse place, at the mouth of the River Medway where it joins the Thames it sits in the busiest part of the river. The cross channel Ferry runs out of nearby Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey, large oil tankers and other ships pass very close to the wreck on a daily basis. A waterskiing, jet-ski and sailing centre is based at Allhallows and these can often be seen using the area, and situated on either side of the Thames adjacent to its location are large Oil Refinery's all of which add to the dangers if this vessel was to ever explode.

The Wreck

The shipwreck is still very visible today.

Dangerously Close

Every day large tankers pass perilously close with only a warning buoy in place.

Warning Buoy

All that stands between the wreck and passing ships.

Hazardous Location

Just off the coast of Sheerness where Ferries run, and directly in the way of laden Oil Tankers.

Scans

Scans of the wreck show the ship which had split in two is deteriorating further. Escaped gasses from the munitions have been spotted burning above the water.

Publicity

The wreck is constantly observed and there have been a few surveys done over the 70+ years. But even with publicity such as above nobody wants to take responsibility for solving the issue.

Close Calls

There have been many near miss events, and the restricted zone is often ignored by surfers and users of small boats who climb on to the masts to take 'Selfie's'.

Side Scans

The scans show there is no way the ship can be refloated or moved out to sea where it could be safely exploded

2011 Scans of the wreck

It's not a joke !

The UK Government and military ignore it, deny responsibility and won't pay for its removal.

The US government who own the ship also ignore it, deny responsibility and wont pay for its removal.

But this is !

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson discussed his plans for development of a new 24 Hour Airport based on the river just off the Isle of Sheppey. The idea being to gradually move London's main airports from Heathrow and Gatwick and locate them further from the City allowing for future increases in airport size to match demand. Doing this would also give London the ability to increase it's stock of housing accommodation by building on the existing Heathrow and Gatwick sites.

Landing with a Bump !

Get it slightly wrong and that bump will be very quickly accompanied with a very large Bang!

What would happen if it does explode ?

Could it ?, Will it ?

There are many speculations

The explosion would be equal to a small Atomic Bomb.

Watch some of the videos and then make up your own mind what might happen.

Mike Barker MBE Explains.

Things you might not know

So what would happen if this Ship exploded ?

Article from the New Wide World Magazine for October 1964

Ticking Time Bomb

It could flood London

A 30ft Tidal Wave could be forced down the River Medway and up the River Thames which would flood a great part of London and destroy many of the Medway Towns.

70's News Report on the shipwreck

Wrecks Around Britain

Could the fictional television drama become reality?

Flood


The Flood in this story is caused by a freak weather occurance, but the film and the multi-part ITV television series graphically depict what might happen if the SS Richard Montgomery was to ever explode and flood London.

Eugenicus

In this conspiracy theory thriller, an ancient order intent on reducing the population purposely crash a ship into the Richard Montgomery causing devastation.

The book really makes you think what such flooding could entail, and how easily what we know could be taken away from us.