question Tank hulks at Kirkcudbright Training Area?

Hello,

I'm interested if anyone has taken any pictures/info of any Tank Hulks at The Kirkcudbright Training Area as many of you will know it was a tnk gun testing area, and now a normal Army training area...

I was there in 2006 and saw a few hulks near the coast, a couple of Comets and Cromwells and what I'm sure to be a A39 Tortoise Heavy Tank...Ive no info they have been moved as such, One of the Users on here..Eddy8men :-D got me some good info that it was there and might have went to a collector...anyone been there in the last 12 months?...and yes i know about the DU hazard etc...

Regards

TN

No Cromwells as far as I know but lots of Comets, a Tortoise, some Churchills and a Conqueror. Also a 17 pr AT gun in a bush!

There are some trials Chietain variants that are a bit secret....

All fairly well picked over but apart from the 17 pr, all still there I think. Very rusty though, the sea air has not improved them!

Great....knew i had come to the right forum!!! :saluting:

Its Amazing how much i missed...

Thanks Adrian.

I'm heading down there for an Exercise Recce, ill see if i can get some pics...was a bit busy last time and of course forgot my camera. :cry:

Hi, just checked posts on Warrelics, i posted the same question this week and Eddy8men on here has found this pic of the A39 Tortoise taken in the Range in 1991...looked the same in 2006..

:yay:

That is the good side, although i'm surprised the hits on the right side didn't go straight through as the tortoise castings are believed to be mild steel.

I thought the Comets on this range were down to 1 tank and at one time there were three Conquerors and at least one Chieftain W or P series but like the 17pdr who knows what has gone by now.

hi fella's

Can't take the credit for the info on the tortoise, i just did what everyone else does and asked steveo578 who told me the history and i just posted it on the warrelics forum(busted).

happy new year all

eddy

Im sure DawnPatrol (Julian) and friend got their recently acquired Comets from this range.

Adrian,

Did the 17 pdr A/T end up on the IOW ?

Rob.......................rnixartillery.

hi rob

there's a youtube video of iow wrecks with a 17 pdr gun carriage on display in what looks like a patio area.Just type in "tank hulks"and it will come up at 4.44 mins.I wonder if this is the one you mentioned certainly looks like it came off a range.

beats a b&q water feature any day.

cheers eddy

Rob,

yes the 17 pr is on the IOW.

Rick,

Julians comets came from STANTA (Thetford) and Pirbrite both via East of England Museum.

Hi guys can i get the link to Vid on Y tube please ?

Thanks for the info chaps,I have a 17 pdr in my collection which I restored about 10 years ago.

My one came off Otterburn range a long time back.

Rob..........................rnixartillery.

hi jim

sorry i couldn't put a link in for you, but computers aren't my strong point but if you type in tank hulks on youtube it will come up, you'll also find out where all the range targets went!

happy new year eddy

Hi Guys

Just to add my penny worth,

I have been in touch with the range officer at Kirkcudbright, over the last two years, a very nice chap, who is willing to to help our Comet projects, I can confirm that no complete hulls can be removed from the site, as it is an SSSI, and as such the area around the wrecks can not be disturbed.

We are hoping to spend sometime this spring collecting parts for our project.

Jules

thedawnpatrol

as it is an SSSI, and as such the area around the wrecks can not be disturbed.

 

Interesting post I wonder which otherwise unemployable graduate son or daughter of the great and the good thought that one up and was no doubt given a nice fat cheque for his or her trouble.

If it is a fragile habitat having a lump of rusting steel leaching contaminants from within and pitric acid and other chemical residues from ammunition around is not going to do any good to the environment.

You know what the MOD can be like though...

Stone

Im sure DawnPatrol (Julian) and friend got their recently acquired Comets from this range.

This is a really interesting topic, however, may I pose a question? "What are the legal implications of removing a wreck from a firing range?". As someone involved in the restoration of Military vehicles I think it's amazing these wrecks and been given a new lease of life. However, how are people getting permission to remove these vehicles from military firing ranges?

rnixartillery

My one came off Otterburn range a long time back

 

Must have been along time ago, I know there was a gun line about 1km to the west of linshiels lake in the main Redesdale impact area, but all that remained when I was there was a badly mangled 25pdr traversing base and an artilleryish lump that could have been an arm off a L60 Bofors, elsewhere there was a clutch of 5 bofors L70 set up in the vicinity of the air frame targets, along with a number of thunderbolt launchers. At least one of the L70s was recovered for inclusion in a museum.

If I remember correctly the DLI 17pdr came off Warcop but whether it was save before deployment or has been well restored is unknown to me- I was really there to admire their 2pdr A/T gun.

Fruitbat

how are people getting permission to remove these vehicles from military firing ranges?

 

In the first instance it is the perogative of the Range Officer of the Training Area,but of course it is more complex and will include consulation with the Training Area commander and a financial determination:cry:, I am sure others can fill in further complex details, I don't do wreck rebuilds -I regard myself as Recce only:).

Steve

Must have been along time ago, I know there was a gun line about 1km to the west of linshiels lake in the main Redesdale impact area, but all that remained when I was there was a badly mangled 25pdr traversing base and an artilleryish lump that could have been an arm off a L60 Bofors, elsewhere there was a clutch of 5 bofors L70 set up in the vicinity of the air frame targets, along with a number of thunderbolt launchers. At least one of the L70s was recovered for inclusion in a museum.

 

If I remember correctly the DLI 17pdr came off Warcop but whether it was save before deployment or has been well restored is unknown to me- I was really there to admire their 2pdr A/T gun.

Steveo.

I have the ex DLI 17 pdr in my collection , it has since been fully restored.

It has taken me 10 years to acquire all the missing parts to complete the restoration.

I managed to find a sight assembly through a colleague which had been removed from a 17 pdr used by the Iraqi national guard in the gulf war two years ago.

I would post some pics but I think this is the wrong thread for artillery !!

Rob..............................rnixartillery.

In the first instance it is the perogative of the Range Officer of the Training Area,but of course it is more complex and will include consulation with the Training Area commander and a financial determination:cry:, I am sure others can fill in further complex details, I don't do wreck rebuilds -I regard myself as Recce only:).

 

Steve

Really interesting, although this may be a bit of a thread hijack! - Before we go to far, I am going to create a new thread.

There used to be a Chieftain and a Centurion at Kirk which were fitted NCK Rapier cranes in place of turrets. These were used for lifting targets that sort of thing.See the book Chieftain by Simon Dunstan.

Hello guys,

I've found some nice and interesting pictures of the Kirkcudbright range. The gallery shows some Comets, the Tortoise, 1 Churchill, 1 Sherman and two or three post-war tanks :

http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/240905/digital_images/kirkcudbright+training+area/?&sort_typ=archnum&sort_ord=asc&show=all

Pierre-Olivier

http://the.shadock.free.fr/Surviving_Panzers.html

That Churchill looks rather good.....so I persume it is not in location anymore

great first post shaddock. i like it , i like it a lot.

eddy