A World War Two shipwreck, which went down off the Kent coast with 1,400 tonnes of explosives onboard, is set to have its masts removed as part of a £9.5m deal.
Experts say long-delayed safety procedures need to be carried out on SS Richard Montgomery’s decaying hull before anything breaks off and falls onto its cargo below, detonating it.
The US Liberty ship, built in 1943, lies around 1.5 miles off the coast of Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey, having run aground and broken apart in the Thames Estuary in 1944.
A spokesperson for the Department for Transport (DfT) said its priority “will always be the safety of the public” and that a contract for the work could be signed imminently.
