The masts of the Richard Montgomery poking from the water at all states of the tide are a constant reminder of the wreckage off Sheerness.

After becoming grounded on a sandbank in 1944, a crack appeared in the liberty ship’s hull and her forward end began to flood.

A salvage effort started to lighten the vessel so she could be refloated and to save the cargo of munitions that were vital for the Allies’ post-D-Day advancement, but had to be abandoned when the vessel flooded completely.

The wreck split in two and remains on the sandbank where she sank with approximately 1,400 tons of explosives contained within the forward holds.

Medway Ports, now part of Peel Ports, is contracted by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) to mark and guard the wreck.

Reports organised by the agency for the past three years have been sent to the Department for Transport (DfT) for consideration before their public release.

A DfT spokesperson said: “Surveys of the SS Richard Montgomery are commissioned by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and carried out by a commercial surveyor on board an MCA vessel.

“The wreck remains under 24-hour surveillance by Medway Ports, and full surveys have been carried out in 2008, 2009 and last year.

“The condition of the wreck will be outlined in these reports, the first two of which we expect to be able to publish in the near future.”

The wreck has been subject to regular surveys since its grounding and until 1984, surveys were carried out by Ministry of Defence (MoD) salvage divers.

After 1993 and due to the poor visibility underwater, surveys started being carried out using sonar technology.

In 2006, a survey found that the condition of the hull was slowly deteriorating and that the orientation, pitch and list of the two section remained unchanged since 2005.

It also said that a 2m gap under the forefoot of the bow was fully supported by sediment and that although there had been minor changes between 2005 and 2006, they were not significant and 'unlikely to influence the stability of the wreck’.

The MCA website says: “Whilst the risk of a major explosion is believed to be remote, it is considered prudent to monitor the condition of the wreck.

“Surveys are carried out by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency on a regular basis to ensure that any changes to the wreck, or its immediate environment, are discovered quickly.

“Although it is clear from the results of these surveys that the hull is subject to prevailing environmental conditions and is showing some evidence of deterioration, over the past 10 years there has been little change and the wreck is considered to be in a stable condition.

“Some remedial work to trim the rigging etc from the masts (above the water line) was undertaken in October 1999 with the aim of reducing stress levels on the masts and derricks.”

The Agency was unable to comment on the most recent surveys.