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tankdriving.net The Dinscott Tank & Military Collection Stibb, Bude, Cornwall. EX23 9HP 07855 261169 / 01288 321556 |
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The main vehicle exhibits in the collection are: The Mk 10 Chieftain Main Battle Tanks mil reg 03EB09 and 02EB56 The 55 ton Chieftain with its 750 hp 19 litre supercharged two stroke engine was introduced into service in 1965. All the Chieftains were made at either Leeds or Newcastle with both of ours being built at the Royal Ordinance Factory in Leeds. They remained in use until 1995 when the last one was fired at Castlemartin ranges in Wales. 03EB09 spent most of its time in Germany ending up in Berlin. 02EB56 never left the UK and was used for training purposes on Salisbury Plain. The Chieftain Armoured Repair & Recovery Vehicles mil reg 07FF07 and 07FF13 The Chieftain ARRV was built on the hull of a redundant Mk 1 Chieftain gun tank. This work was carried out by Vickers at Newcastle in 1976. It purpose was to recover broken down or bogged gun tanks and is equipped with a large winch and a hydraulic crane. It was operated by a REME detachment attached to whichever regiment was operating the gun tanks. The Abbot Self Propelled Gun mil reg 06EB98 The Abbot was built in 1965. It carries a 105 mm howitzer and was a highly mobile artillery piece. Usually operated as a part of a 4 gun battery, of the 170 built, nearly all were stationed in Germany. The gun has a range of approx 12 miles. They were phased out of use in the early 90's and has now been replaced by the AS 90 self propelled gun and the 105mm light field gun. The GKN FV 432 Armoured Personnel Carriers mil reg 08EA21& not known The 432 was introduced in 1965 also. These were operated by the infantry and were designed to carry 12 fully equipped infantrymen around the battlefield whilst providing some armoured protection. They also had a permanent crew of a driver and commander. They are still in current use although their frontline role has been taken over by the Warrior. The Hagglund BV 206 Personnel Carrier mil reg 70KD62 These were introduced on 1986 to replace the older Volvo BV 202. They are very light in military terms and have a very low ground pressure. They can operate in snow, in marshes, on soft desert sand and are also amphibious. They are operated almost exclusively by the marines and can carry 17 personnel. They are still in current use when fitted with a diesel engine ( ours is petrol ). The Volvo BV 202 Snowcat ( to be restored ) mil reg not known This was originally designed to be operated in the Arctic circle by the Marines and was a tow vehicle. Normal practice was for a long rope to pulled along and for large no's of personnel to pulled along on skis behind the vehicle with their kit in the back compartment of the vehicle. Very approximately used between 1960 and the mid 80's The Alvis Stalwart Mk 2 mil reg 17ET88 Made in 1970 this was an amphibious 5 ton capacity high mobility cargo truck designed to carry fuel and ammunition in support of the Chieftain tanks. Unfortunately they had a tendency to sink and catch fire and their amphibious capability was disabled part way through their life as it was considered too dangerous to operate. Their mechanical complexity was also a problem with frequent transmission breakages when used for longer distances on the road. It did though have very good off-road ability. The Alvis Saracen Mk 6 Command Vehicle mil reg not known This Saracen was built in 1959. It is a 6x6 mobile command centre. It has a crew of a driver and commander with the commander having a small turret of the same design as the Ferret fitted with a Browning .30 cal machine gun. In the back it is fitted with seating and map tables for 3 officers. It also carries a radio operator and full communications equipment. It can also be fitted with a purpose built add on tent to improve the working space available. The Daimler Ferret Mk 2/4 mil reg 03BB63 This vehicle was built in 1956 and is a light reconnaissance vehicle. It is designed to be light and fast and to be able to gain information on enemy positions and escape again without being caught. It is armed with the Browning .30 cal machine gun although this was later changed to the 7.62 GPMG machine gun. It was a highly successful design and stayed in service until the mid 90's when its role was replaced by the CVRT series of vehicles the Sabre, Scimitar and the Scorpion. AEC Militant Mk 3 Recovery Vehicle mil reg 87ET16 This 6x6 vehicle was built in 1970 and was operated by the REME to recover vehicles up to 10 tons in carrying capacity. It has a fully slewing hydraulic crane and a large winch. This was the first vehicle ever bought by the collection and still in regular use for lifting engines etc. International Harvester Fuel Tanker ( to be restored ) no reg The only non British vehicle in the collection, this was used on an American Air Force base probably in the South East. We found it in a farmers shed in a quarry near Tiverton. Foden FH 70 Gun Tractor Made in 1976 and powered by a Rolls Royce Eagle diesel engine this 6x6 tractor was designed to pull the FH 70 field gun, It has living and traveling space for a 8 man crew and a deck to carry the necessary ammunition with a crane to unload it with. It is also fitted with lockers to contain all the kit needed to maintain and operate the gun and a winch to recover the gun or the tractor itself. FH 70 155 mm Howitzer Powered Field Gun no reg This gun was jointly developed by the British, Germans and Italians and is still in use, but not with the British Army. It has a maximum range of approx 18 miles and can fire a 50 Kg shell that far. It was operated by a crew of 8 and this gun was last fired in the late 90's. It weighs 9.5 tons and cannot be moved by hand so it is fitted with a Volkswagen petrol engine and gearbox and can be driven short distances of a mile or so on its own although driving it is an interesting experience. Alvis Sabre Light Reconnaissance Tank mil reg 49AT22 This light tank was made in the early 90's by using the hull from the Scorpion ( originally built from the early 70's to early 80's ) and the turret and guns from redundant Fox armoured cars. 136 were built in this way and the result was a vehicle that was very similar to the Scimitar which is still in current use. It is all armoured aluminum and weighs 8 tonnes and is powered by a 4.2 litre Jaguar petrol engine. The guns are the 30 mm Rarden cannon and a Hughes 7.62 chain gun. It carried a crew of three and was used for forward reconnaisance. |