Iran drone could cause ‘mass damage and loss of life’ across south east by targeting World War Two Thames shipwreck that is packed with 1,400 tons of explosives

A Second World War shipwreck loaded with 1,400 tonnes of explosives lying at the bottom of the River Thames has become a ‘sitting duck’ for an Iranian drone strike in the south-east that would cause ‘mass casualties’, experts have warned.

SS Richard Montgomery crossed the Atlantic without incident and when the weather turned she set out to support Allied forces in Normandy and was ordered to anchor off Sheerness, Kent.

But on August 20, 1944, the American Liberty-class cargo ship dragged its anchor and ran aground on a beach approximately 250 meters from the Medway Approach Channel.

A massive rescue operation was launched to offload the ship’s deadly cargo, but not all of the ordnance could be recovered before the 7,200-ton ship cracked and sank to the bottom of the river.

For the past 81 years, the ship has remained untouched beneath the waves, its cargo still containing deadly explosives.

As well as highly explosive general-purpose bombs, there are also white phosphorus bombs, which can cause severe, painful and often fatal burns to any person who comes into contact with them, as well as fragmentation bombs designed to disperse shrapnel over a wider area.

There are even cluster bombs and bombs as large as 1000lb and 500lb.

But analysts have warned that if the ship is targeted by drones and its fragile masts fall on the incendiary cargo, the resulting explosion could lead to an unspeakable disaster.

SS Richard Montgomery crossed the Atlantic without incident but ran aground off the Kent coast on 20 August 1944.

Experts say debris from the wreck could be thrown up to 2.8 miles into the air, damaging buildings miles away.

Sheerness, a town with a population of around 13,000, will be completely destroyed, with survivors facing the possibility of a deadly tsunami hitting them and waves reaching 30 to 40 ft high.

A smaller tsunami could also move down the Thames towards London, destroying everything in its path.

Parts of north Kent and south Essex will be destroyed by rapid flooding, while Britain’s largest liquefied natural gas terminal on the Grain Isle will disappear under tonnes of water.

While the possibility of an Iranian missile hitting Britain’s capital remains mostly theoretical, the risk became much more realistic this week following an attack on a British military base in the Chagos Islands.

Last Friday night, two ballistic missiles were fired at Diego Garcia, a base jointly operated by the USA and the UK in the Indian Ocean.

Sources reported that one of the missiles failed in flight, while the other was intercepted by a US warship; but the importance of this enterprise was incredibly clear.

The IDF confirmed on Saturday that Iran had demonstrated for the first time that it has not only long-range missiles in its arsenal, but also missiles capable of reaching a distance of around 4,000 kilometers.

‘The Iranian terrorist regime poses a global threat. “With missiles that can now reach London, Paris or Berlin,” he added.

Successive governments over the last eighty years have survived the risk of worsening ‘apocalypse debris’, but the prospect of sabotage by drones is a newer type of threat.

An investigation carried out on the ship last June revealed that the ship’s hull was in poor condition.

The wreck has long been subject to a strict maritime exclusion zone enforced by the Department of Defense; A new order implemented last June stopped planes from flying within one nautical mile of sunken ruins or below 13,100 ft in restricted airspace.

Retired paratrooper Major Andrew Fox said: Telegram: ‘The wreckage is a fixed and conspicuous target, putting it at risk of drone sabotage.’

Meanwhile, emergency planning and risk management expert Professor David Alexander described the ship as a ‘sitting duck’.

Other experts have also mentioned the possibility of Iran or Russia using rudimentary drones flown by skilled operators or ‘proxies’ to carry out such an operation.

The allegation that Iran was using common criminals to launch attacks on British soil was made following a firebomb attack on four Jewish community ambulances in north London earlier this week.

Lord Beamish, chairman of parliament’s intelligence and security committee. He talked about it in his program today BBC Radio 4: ‘The Iranian regime, whether it is the Revolutionary Guard’ [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] or Iranian security services are attacking dissidents, critics of the regime, and targeting the Jewish community, and they are increasingly doing so not directly but through proxies.

‘What you’re dealing with here isn’t necessarily just organized crime groups, it’s also new hires.’

The Ministry of Transport said the condition of the wreckage was ‘stable’ and the area was monitored 24 hours a day.

A spokesman said: ‘Our priority will always be to ensure the safety of the public and reduce the risks posed by the SS Richard Montgomery.

‘We have been clear that pilots and operators should not fly, including drones, in a limited area around and over the site, which is standard for no-fly zones across the country.

‘The condition of the wreckage remains stable and the area is meticulously monitored 24/7.’

A spokesman for the UK Civil Aviation Authority said: ‘Last year, restricted airspace was imposed over the wrecked Second World War ship SS Richard Montgomery.

‘This restriction requested by the government is to ensure the safety of all incoming air traffic and to prevent possible accidents caused by unexploded bombs on board. ‘This is affecting flight routes to London City and Biggin Hill airports.’

What is the SS Montgomery and why is it dangerous?

SS Richard Montgomery was a US Liberty Ship built in 1943 to carry cargo across the Atlantic.

The 7,200-ton ship crossed the Atlantic without incident with convoy HX-301 and was ordered to anchor off Sheerness.

The ship was carrying approximately 7,000 tons of ammunition and was due to head to Cherbourg to unload its cargo.

But on 20 August 1944 Montgomery dragged her anchor and ran aground on a beach about 250 meters from the Medway Approach Channel.

The SS Richard Montgomery, pictured, sank off the coast of Kent in 1944, carrying 7,000 tonnes of ammunition destined for Cherbourg to invade Europe.

SS Richard Montgomery dragged her anchor and ran aground on a beach on August 20, 1944, before her hull cracked and began to flood.

A massive rescue operation was launched to offload the ship’s deadly cargo, but within 24 hours cracks began to appear in the hull and the forward sections began to flood.

By 25 September, the rescue operation had to be abandoned after the entire ship was submerged.

Richard Montgomery was one of 2,700 Liberty ships built during the war.