Brits living in the shadow of Britain’s “doomsday wreck” touted as a possible Iranian target are evoking Britain’s iconic Blitz Spirit and pledging to “keep calm and carry on”.
Sheerness, a town of 13,000 people and nine fish and chip shops, is also home to the shipwrecked SS Montgomery, an American military cargo ship that hit a sandbank and sank near the mouth of the Thames in 1944.
On board was a terrifying arsenal of bombs, munitions and deadly white phosphorous, all weighing as much as seven jumbo jets. A government study has warned that if the deadly cargo were ever to ignite, it could cause “mass damage and loss of life”, even triggering a potential tsunami towards this quiet seaside town.
Experts have also raised fears the wreck could be a target in modern conflict, with tensions rising globally.
The Daily Star went down to Sheerness to see how the locals are dealing with their small town appearing in such dramatic headlines.
We were met with a stiff up lips, and a steely resilience to keep living normally reminiscent of the 1940s.
Partners Keith and Kath, who grew up in Sheerness in the 1960s and have been here ever since, remember when the wreck was almost a seaside attraction. “As kids you’d pay a couple of pennies and have a trip around the wreck,” Keith said.
His partner Kath was slightly less relaxed about the whole thing, worrying that the constant media coverage may alert Britain’s adversaries to the Montgomery.
“It’s so well advertised. They know it’s there. It’s a wonder nothing’s touched I”, she said.
Jackie, who lives elsewhere in Kent but stays in Sheerness regularly, said that she preferred to enjoy life in the area and not focus on the all the negativity.
“It’s all doom and gloom, it’s not a nice time at all.” said Jackie. “At least it’s something to look at!”, she joked.
For Sheerness’ younger residents, the wreck is simply part of life.
Bobby and Lou, both in their twenties, explained that they had learned to live with the wreck, and that while it had once worried them, they were used to it by now.
Lou explained, “we were raised not to be nervous, we learnt it at school”.
For Bobby, who moved to the area in the last few years, getting over the shadow of the Montgomery took time.
He said, “when I first moved to Sheerness, I was nervous about it, but you just learn to live with it.”
Gary, who runs an automobile shop on the high street, laughed off the danger, joking “don’t panic, captain Mainwaring”. For a town long accustomed to living alongside one of Britain’s most dangerous shipwrecks, the attitude is simple: keep calm and carry on.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.