Controversial plans to remove the iconic masts from a Second World War bomb boat have been pushed back yet again.

An eight-week project to cut down the three masts of the American cargo ship SS Richard Montgomery, which sank off Sheppey more than 80 years ago, has been in the pipeline for almost five years.

But now it has been delayed for the third time.

The vessel, affectionately dubbed Monty, sank off the coast of Sheerness in August 1944 with 7,000 tonnes of ammunition on board. Roughly half were salvaged, but around 14,571 bombs remain in the shipwreck.

While the likelihood of a detonation and whether it would cause a “Thames tsunami” are debatable, there are signs of deterioration in the ship’s hull, and it is thought this could increase the danger.

In 2020, it was decided that the masts – which stick out above the water line – would be removed, as it is believed their weight is putting an additional strain on the cargo hold.

In April last year, the Department for Transport (DfT) said it would carry out the work within the next year. But 12 months on, no such work has taken place.

KentOnline asked DfT why there had been a delay. It declined to answer.

The Dft would also not be drawn on how much the project has cost so far.

However, a letter from the Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Security, MP Mike Kane, said the “inherent complexity” of the site meant further surveys have been conducted while work on getting a contractor for the project is “ongoing”.

A contractor had already been appointed, but after a survey in June 2023 detected 18 "metallic objects", which have not been identified, the DfT had to reassess the “viability” of that contract.

The MP for Wythenshawe and Sale East said the results from further “wide-ranging” surveys will allow them to “engage the market”.

He said: “[The results will] provide potential bidders with the information they will need to identify and develop alternative options for removing the masts.

“Our aim remains to remove the masts as soon as possible, subject to establishing a safe and effective methodology for doing so.

“We intend to launch a procurement later this year.”

Meanwhile, a DfT spokesman said: “Our priority will always be to ensure the safety of the public and reduce any risk posed by the SS Richard Montgomery.

“Experts are carrying out vital preparatory work to support any physical interactions with the wreck.

“We continue to monitor the site 24 hours a day and undertake detailed surveys to assess the wreck’s condition.”

The project has been hit with delays since the decision to remove the masts was taken almost five years ago.

In June 2022, it was pushed back after bombs were found lying on the seabed. They were removed that summer.

There is an exclusion zone around the immediate wreck site, marked by a ring of buoys, but yachts, jet-skiers and even paddle-boarders have been seen ignoring the exclusion zone and venturing dangerously close.

They risk not only a large fine if caught but also potentially losing their lives should the wreck blow up.

The pay-load of the shipwreck, named after an American hero of the War of Independence, and the potential of it going off unexpectedly has captured the imagination of both the locals living on Sheppey and the national media.

Government tests in the 1970s detailed the worst-case scenario of a detonation, which reported it would cause a 3,000-metre-high column of water and debris and a five-metre tsunami, which would overwhelm both the town and port of Sheerness.

The water wave would also reach the Isle of Grain and its liquid gas installations, with potentially catastrophic consequences. Meanwhile, London would also be flooded by what has been described as a “Thames tsunami”.

Read more: The truth behind explosive-filled SS Richard Montgomery shipwreck off Sheerness

When news broke that the masts were to be cut down, it sparked a row between Islanders and people living in Southend who both wanted Monty’s masts as visitor attractions.

Veteran sailor and charity fundraiser Tim Bell suggested they could be planted in the Moat, a defensive canal dug to protect Sheerness from marauding invaders.

The DfT will decide what will happen to the masts further down the line of the project.