cranes

[les freathy]

Heres somthing interesting for you tracked guys a pair of Chieftain hulls with large capacity NCK and Jones cranes fitted, i have some info on the purpose somewhere but cant lay my hands on it at the moment but one of you lot will have some details i am sure

[Tony B]

Woha, now that is a bizzare use for hulls.

[robin craig]

Ahah!!

 

From the reading pile in the household library aka the can comes my copy of "The Chieftain Tank" by Simon Dunstan published by Arms and Armour Press in 1989 ISBN 0-85368-89-X in the series Military Vehicles Fotofax. Plate 93

 

"One unusual variant of Chieftain is this NCK Rapier crane mounted on an early production chassis.The vehicle is employed on the gunnery ranges at Kirkcudbright in Scotland to move heavy targets and gun mountings. Beside it is an earlier Centurion example."

 

The picture you show actually has the two of them in different positions, the Centurion is on the right and the Chieftain on the left.

 

You have made my day as my domestic Niner has been shown why I need to litter the can with such books!

 

 

Robin

[steveo578]

The Cenutrion with the Jones KL 11.7 crane was the second incarnation of the type. Previously the tank had a S7-10 crane fitted until the crane was written off when ithe tank fell into a hole. A photo of the both types are shown in Simon Dunstans Centurion book published in 1980 by Ian Allen.

[retriever]

I remember a Cent version in as new condition in a scrap yard at Abingdon Oxfordshire about 20 years ago, the yard owner also had several new engines he said it all came from the ranges near Southend and were used for lifting bomb cases

[steveo578]

Probably from the Shrewburyness range, there are/were some interesting turretless Cents at the DERA establishment near Seascale used for mobile mounts for weapons trials.

[robin craig]

oh come, come chaps, cant anyone find more pictures of these dinosaurs?

 

R

[antarmike]

No this is a dinosaur:-

[antarmike]

Ausrealian Grant Crane conversion

[antarmike]

 

Does Captain Scarlet tank crane count????

[antarmike]

SPK-5 was a ten ton crane convertion going into production in 1955 based on a T-34 tank. Caption says "The crane rotates on a mount that fits into the turret ring." but I don't see this myself.

Edited January 16, 2010 by antarmike

[steveo578]

antarmike

Caption says "The crane rotates on a mount that fits into the turret ring." but I don't see this myself.

 

 

Certainly rotates on the racer. see photo of SPK 5 from Soviet Tanks ....1946 to the present by S. Zagola and James Loop. 1987. Sorry that photos have developed a Mor problem.

 

Additional photos are various other Soviet Polish and Czech cranes from the same source. Skp 5 ISU T are Soviet CSLA is czech and CW ISU is Polish.

 

Steve

 

skp 5.jpg

 

csla.jpg

 

ISU T.jpg

 

CW ISU.jpg

[Trooper2196]

Heres somthing interesting for you tracked guys a pair of Chieftain hulls with large capacity NCK and Jones cranes fitted, i have some info on the purpose somewhere but cant lay my hands on it at the moment but one of you lot will have some details i am sure

 

The Chieftain shown is a MK4 one of only two produced tested by MVEE on Exercise Dryfoot in 1971 at the Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, USA. I was on that trial as a troop Sgt the photo added is the same tank as produced with the turret and crane not yet fitted.

Edited March 19, 2015 by Trooper2196