Richard Montgomery
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Richard
Montgomery was a EC2-S--C1 type Liberty ship laid down at
St.Johns River Shipbuilding Company Ltd on Jacksonville in
March 1943, and was launched two months later. On her
final voyage she left Philadelphia in the US in early
August 1944 loaded with 6127 tons of ammunition, final
destination Cherbourg in in France. She arrived England
and was ordered to anchor outside Sheerness in the Thames
Estuary and await further orders. 20.August 1944 a strong
gale forced her to drag the anchor and drift, making her
run aground on a sandbank near Sheppey. Three days later
an operation to remove the cargo started, and they
succeeded in removing some of the cargo before she sank in
September 1944. Today the wreck rest on her keel in two
parts on depth of approx 15 meters., with her three masts
still visible on the surface The wreck is considered to
be dangerous and is surveyed almost every year. The
area is totally of limit, and it is not allowed to access
the area.
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  Picture: Liberty ship Edwin L Drake, similar construction as Richard Montgomery Courtesy of Armed Guard  Last updated: December 2019 |
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