Watch eighty years unfold.

80-Year Timeline

Trace the chronological history of the SS Richard Montgomery from 1944 to the present day. This timeline documents surveys, decisions, and operations surrounding the wreck.

• 1999-07-25: Survey - Sonar Research and Development Ltd conducted the 1999 seabed...
• 1999-10: Intervention - Medway Ports removed cargo blocks and associated debris from...
• 2003: Survey - Falmouth Divers Ltd conducted ultrasonic hull-thickness, cra...
• 2013-03: Survey - The MOD hull-thickness dive programme was split into March a...
• 2014-01-13: Survey - MMT UK Ltd and PLA vessels Galloper and Yantlet completed th...
• 2014: Research_programme - Dstl was asked to assist DfT with technical advice for futur...
• 2015-08-07: Report - Dstl issued its public Phase 1 summary, identifying probabil...
• 2017-03-31: Report - Dstl issued its Phase 2 summary prioritising research needed...
• 2017: Governance - An Expert Advisory Group was formed to advise DfT on managem...
• 2021-09-04: Survey - The 2021 full survey acquired wreck, mast and surrounding-se...
• 2022-06: Policy_snapshot - The published 2021 survey report recorded plans to reduce th...
• 2022-10-09: Survey - The 2022 full survey acquired MBES and laser data on 9, 11 a...
• 2025-07-27: Survey - The 2025 full survey acquired outside-zone seabed data on 27...
• 2024: Structural_change - Key Area 6 underwent a significant further collapse between ...
• 1964-09: Governance - An inter-agency working party was formed after renewed press...
• 1965: Survey - A naval diving survey reported that both halves had sunk bod...
• 1967-06: Report_and_review - The Government received a US Department of the Army report c...
• 1969-01-03: Survey_and_security_response - Royal Navy divers from HM Dockyard Portsmouth examined the w...
• 1969-03-27: Policy_commitment - The Board of Trade promised a periodic review in 1970 after ...
• 1971-06-14: Survey_and_options_review - By this date a recent close survey and a protective-barrier ...
• 1973-03-02: Legislation - The Protection of Wrecks Bill received its Commons second re...
• 1983-07: Survey - A Royal Navy diving survey was later reported to have found ...
• 2004-05-13: Risk_assessment - By this date the Port of London Authority had completed a Lo...
• 2004-05-14: Survey_planning - The Government publicly described the planned 2005 survey-me...
• 2005-02-01: Representation - Dr Robert Spink MP sent a representation asking that the Lon...
• 2005-07-20: Decision_review - The Department for Transport published its minded view that ...
• 2003-03-31: Report_creation - The inquiry catalogue dates the Marico Marine Thames Marine ...
• 2003-05-13: Inquiry_procedure - The London Gateway Inspector treated navigation as an agreed...
• 2001-12-17: Corporate_event - London Gateway Port Limited, the port vehicle later named in...
• 2020-06-05: Procurement - MCA's public mast-height-reduction procurement window opened...
• 2022-09: Survey_and_preparation - DfT later reported that essential preparatory work occurred ...
• 2023-06-15: Policy_review - DfT publicly disclosed that the 2022 surveys had identified ...
• 2021-09-06: Contract_award - Defence Equipment & Support recorded the contract-award deci...
• 2020-01-20: Procurement_planning - TED published the S&MOCB/3372 prior information notice, esti...
• 2020-06-09: Procurement - TED published the negotiated S&MOCB/3372 competition notice ...
• 2020-06-19: Procurement_correction - The second S&MOCB/3372 corrigendum formally replaced the pri...
• 2017: Governance_and_policy - An independent Expert Advisory Group was formed to advise mi...
• 2026-05-07: Contract_signature - DfT signed the £9.5 million TMAR3151 mast-reduction contract...
• 2026-07-14: Operation_announcement - DfT and MCA announced on-site preparation later in July and ...
• 2020-09-17: Policy_disclosure - DfT publicly characterised its decision as exploring mast-he...
• 2022-05-26: Policy_disclosure - DfT publicly said an expert group assessed annual-survey res...
• 2025-11-21: Procurement_disclosure - DfT publicly said it was procuring a new salvage contractor ...
• 2022-08-21: Operational_safeguard - A statutory one-nautical-mile flight restriction operated be...
• 2025-05-02: Public_safety_control - An open-ended statutory flight restriction began over the wr...
• 2025-07-11: Public_safety_control - The 2025 restricted-airspace dimensions changed to half a na...
• 2026-02-19: Public_safety_control - The continuing restricted airspace was designated EG R162 an...
• 2025-07-22: Survey_notice - Peel Ports notified mariners that Clinton Marine Survey AB a...
• 2026-03-10: Operational_safeguard - Peel Ports notified mariners that DfT had instructed enlarge...
• 2026-03-26: Survey_notice - Peel Ports issued a revised notice authorising the Port of L...
• 2026-06-08: Survey_notice - Peel Ports issued a revised notice authorising Njord Survey ...
• 2026-07-17: Site_investigation_notice - Peel Ports notified mariners that Resolve Marine and vessel ...
• 2022-06-24: Statutory_consent - MMO granted DfT marine licence L/2021/00427/1 for the mast-r...
• 2018-05-01: Reported_approval - Historic England later reported its understanding that Secre...
• 2018-05-22: Exempt_monitoring_activity - MMO accepted Cefas exemption notification EXE/2018/00115 for...
• 2026-01-06: Licence_application - DfT submitted successor marine-licence application MLA/2026/...
• 2026-04-08: Statutory_consent - MMO granted DfT new marine licence L/2026/00110/1 for height...
• 2023-10-20: Survey_permission - Peel Ports authorised Briggs Marine and Thames Guardian to u...
• 2023-11-29: Survey_status_update - Peel Ports reported that the hydrographic survey was underwa...
• 2024-08-15: Survey_notice - Peel Ports notified mariners of planned ADCP survey operatio...
• 2022-08-02: Notam_promulgation - UK Aeronautical Information Services stored new NOTAM J2622/...
• 2023-08-21: Survey_permission - Peel Ports authorised Clinton Marine Survey AB and Northern ...
• 2023-10-16: Survey - The 2023 full multibeam and laser survey was conducted using...
• 2024-05-08: Survey_permission - Peel Ports authorised Clinton Marine Survey AB and LODE for ...
• 2024-09-15: Survey - Lode acquired the 2024 full survey outside the exclusion zon...
• 2024-09-19: Survey_status_update - Peel Ports updated NtoM 48-2024 to move expected completion ...
• 2026-07-26: Site_investigation - Tor Boreas was documented beside the exposed wreck masts car...
• 2026-07-27: Site_investigation - Tor Boreas remained at the SS Richard Montgomery site and wa...
• 2018: Policy_recommendation - DfT later said the Expert Advisory Group recommended removal...
• 2023: Programme_pause - DfT later said the first mast-removal project paused after d...
• 2026-04-21: Policy_and_assurance_disclosure - DfT disclosed that a since-2024 survey, information-review a...
• 2021-05-25: Licence_application - DfT submitted its initial marine-licence application while c...
• 2021-10-22: Survey - Dated photographs show Briggs Marine survey vessel Thames Gu...
• 2023-10-30: Survey - A dated photograph shows Briggs Marine vessel Thames Guardia...
• 2021-10-15: Survey_permission - Peel Ports announced that Briggs Marine had written Receiver...
• 2021-10-28: Survey_extension - Peel Ports said the Briggs survey operation was taking place...
• 2021-11-10: Licence_public_notice - Peel Ports published the first statutory public notice for D...
• 2023-06-23: Programme_no_go - By this public-report date DfT had rejected continued use of...
• 2023-12-24: Programme_review - DfT publicly described a live review and update of mast-remo...
• 2021-07-13: Procurement_planning - SALMO published a prior-information notice for a separate UX...
• 2025-04-01: Programme_and_future_management - DfT says it commissioned further work on post-removal risk r...
• 1943-07-29: Vessel_delivery - Richard Montgomery was completed and delivered at Jacksonvil...
• 1944-08-20: Grounding - The vessel status card records that Richard Montgomery groun...
• 1944-08-15: Arrival_and_anchoring - Richard Montgomery arrived at Southend and was anchored 130 ...
• 1944-08-20T08:04:00+02:00: Grounding_signal - The master signalled asking for a pilot because Richard Mont...
• 1944-08-20T09:15:00+02:00: Position_and_evacuation - An N.C.S. tug reported Richard Montgomery five cables west o...
• 1944-08-20T17:47:00+02:00: Initial_damage_response - By Southend report 201747B the ship's back was described as ...
• 1944-08-20T21:01:00+02:00: Salvage_assessment - Capt. Brookes reported severe hogging, a transverse split ex...
• 1944-07-25: Vessel_departure - A declassified-marked vessel movement sheet records Richard ...
• 1944-08-15T14:02:00: Arrival_and_interim_anchoring - Pilot J Newall boarded Richard Montgomery; Willecke then anc...
• 1944-08-16T13:15:00: Assigned_anchorage - Richard Montgomery weighed anchor, passed through the gate a...
• 1944-08-20T05:55:00: Grounding_and_initial_response - Willecke was informed by chief mate L Guder that Richard Mon...
• 1944-08-20T15:30:00: Salvage_planning - At about 15:30 Willecke, chief mate L Guder and Capt Brookes...
• 1944-08-13: Coastal_passage - A vessel movement sheet records Richard Montgomery leaving M...
• 1944-08-20T03:00:00: Armed_guard_casualty_report - Carver's voyage report, as quoted in a 1 September Navy memo...
• 1944-08-22T03:00:00: Salvage_preparation - The 1972 Chamber study says master stevedore T P Adams was c...
• 1944-08-23T10:00:00: Cargo_discharge - The 1972 Chamber study says Rochester stevedores began disch...
• 1944-08-24T15:00:00: Progressive_flooding - The 1972 Chamber study says the hull cracked at the forward ...
• 1944-09-08: Structural_failure - The 1972 Chamber study says Richard Montgomery finally broke...
• 1944-09-25: Salvage_end - The 1972 Chamber study says cargo salvage continued until th...
• 1972-02-22: Policy_advice - E G Whitbread, HM Chief Inspector of Explosives, advised cau...
• 1942-05-28: Municipal_shipyard_planning - Jacksonville's City Commission adopted a petition seeking ra...
• 1942-06-04: Municipal_power_planning - Jacksonville City Commission minutes reproduced the public-u...
• 1942-06-23: Municipal_shipyard_planning - Jacksonville City Council adopted Resolution 202 appropriati...
• 1942-07-09: Shipyard_fire_protection - Jacksonville's City Commission approved J. B. Chancey's tran...
• 1943-06-15: Vessel_launch - SS Richard Montgomery was launched at St. Johns River Shipbu...
• 1942-03-04: Vessel_construction_contract - The U.S. Maritime Commission construction report records 4 M...
• 1943-03-15: Vessel_keel_laying - The U.S. Maritime Commission construction report records tha...
• 2026-07-24T17:46:00+01:00: Industrial_explosion - An explosion involving fertiliser within an industrial unit ...