lowfat Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 These surely needs its own thread now Rick? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddy8men Posted January 29, 2017 Author Share Posted January 29, 2017 that's right no turret and i had heard the track was used for the bovy covenanater, there were also roof plates missing and cooling shrouds but there was a reason it got pushed back into the hole and i am under no illusion about the poor condition. if it was easy we'd all have covenanters let's get it out and see what it's like. i plan to recover it in the next couple of weeks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy1960 Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 Congratulations ... you deserve it.. looking forward to the next installment!:banana: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antar Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 Well done, nice to hear it all came good and it really was there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddy8men Posted January 29, 2017 Author Share Posted January 29, 2017 got to say john it made for a pleasant surprise first pic show the top of the tank looking from the front left corner. on the right you can make out the turret ring, to the left the drivers hatch and in the centre the armoured rad louvre. the second pic shows the drivers hatch in more detail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oxford spectator Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 Well done on your find. What will you be doing with the pair? are the Vineyard keeping them, or are you going to be restoring them into working order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fesm_ndt Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Congrats mate :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
draganm Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 yes? hope there's 2 more back there, but even if not there's how many of these in the world, half dozen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean N Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 ...there's how many of these in the world, half dozen? Possibly not even that. I can only think of the Bovington one that came from the same hole and the two bridgelayers in Oz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Rowe Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Possibly not even that. I can only think of the Bovington one that came from the same hole and the two bridgelayers in Oz. There are only 4 Covenanters left above ground level, that I know of, worldwide. The 2 in Aus, one at the Pakapunal base, and one at the Lancer barracks in Sydney, when I last saw it. There is obviously the Bovy one , and I have one here in New Zealand. Cheers Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andym Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Excellent news, Rick! Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddy8men Posted January 30, 2017 Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 the vineyard has hired a film guy to make a publicity video of the excavation and he sent me a few pics from saturday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surveyor Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Professional curiosity, what's the ground like for digging and stabilisation for the recovery Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
draganm Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 wow, you guys are smack in the middle of the orchard, kudos to the owner for being so accommodating. Any idea how may vines will you be replacing to get it out ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddy8men Posted January 30, 2017 Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 the ground is absolutely great for digging. pure rock/chalk which why i think the tank won't be too bad from the rust. however i have no idea how badly shot up it is. the recovery also looks to be a straight forward job as the tank is facing up the hill at a 45* angle, which means i can pull it back using the final drives and onto the track. this is my first tank recovery since leaving the army and it seems i got lucky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddy8men Posted January 30, 2017 Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 i've started a thread on the covenanter so please post on that for more updates. cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Barrell Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Was there any suggestion they had been hard targets? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowfat Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?56188-Dorking-covenanter-recovery Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abn deuce Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 Hope it comes out of the ground as quickly as you found it ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddy8men Posted February 1, 2017 Author Share Posted February 1, 2017 i didn't see any strikes on the small area we uncovered but the roof plate near the rads was missing so someone has been messing with it, anyway we won't have to wait long to find out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
challenger Posted February 7, 2017 Share Posted February 7, 2017 Saw this on Derelict Places. Looks like a trailer for a 27Kva generator. The last picture at the bottom of the page. http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/rural-sites/34446-chalet.html?#.WJmySTgjGqI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Grundy Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 This was, now scrapped, a Vickers Medium that was dug up in Kent. Photographed by me at The Tank Museum c.1993, if we could only go back to the mid 1990's this would be driving now.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niels v Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 (edited) What a pitty with the Vickers medium. But one could argue if it had been restored, if it wouldn't have been more of replica incorporating original bits, than an original, based on that picture. Edited February 16, 2017 by Niels v Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon king Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 What a pitty with the Vickers medium.But one could argue if it had been restored, if it wouldn't have been more of replica incorporating original bit, than an original, based on that picture. No different from most airworthy Spitfires then..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Barrell Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 There is no market for tanks rebuilt from that condition however, the finished value is just not there. Taken on as a private project, it's doable. I can't see it happening though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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