Range Wrecks

[fv1609]

Any of the Commer APC?

[Balmae]

Any of the Commer APC?

 

If there was one on site it is no longer there!

[fv1609]

Sorry it was at Otterburn

[eddy8men]

2 on otterburn near the milan range

[Balmae]

Kirkcudbright No 27. Comet variant?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[fv1609]

2 on otterburn near the milan range

Ah I've certainly got pictures of one, not sure that I knew there was another.

[GeePig]

Kirkcudbright No 25. Comet

 

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]115171[/ATTACH]

 

 

Ah, so is this an example of an early type B hull with the blanked off exhaust ports then?

 

trevor

[Balmae]

Kirkcudbright No 28. Comet

 

[Balmae]

That concludes the visible range wrecks for Kirkcudbright although i am informed there are also two Daimlers and one Churchill buried in gorse and undergrowth in one of the controlled impact areas that i am not able to gain access too. Cheers!

[Highland_laddie]

Thanks for taking the time to share these

 

cheers,

Julian

[GeePig]

Lovely shots - I like No. 28 Comet, it looks almost like a model.

 

I have a question, though, what exactly is a controlled impact area? Will they always remain off limits, or do you think they will be cleared eventually?

 

trevor

[challenger]

I hope you don't mind me jumping Balmae. - There are several controlled impact areas. That is areas that are contaminated with one thing or another; the Chieftain P5 is sat in one of them. I doubt that one will be "Cleared" in our lifetime. Shame really. The Comet 28 is often shot today with all sorts of high explosive; most of the other targets haven't been shot at for years. The Tortoise was engaged by yours truly about 1978 from a Khalid at night firing DS/T. All the big holes in it are from APDS from Chieftain.

[Balmae]

No problem, iv'e enjoyed documenting them and finding out snippets of info on each. Anymore info greatly received. Challenger is correct with his explanation of the controlled impact areas. Fortunately the Tortoise is now exempt from targeting, i'm lead to believe.

Couple of questions from myself if i may:

 

Am i right in thinking the conqueror is an early model also that has had a a different turret fitted at a later date? The conflicting hull and turret FV numbers got me thinking.

What type of variation is the Comet no 27?

 

Cheers!

[challenger]

Conqueror turret is later than the hull, the vehicle, 07 BA 74 was originally built as a Caernarvon; that is this hull with a Centurion turret. It was produced to give the user experience operating such a large vehicle until the Conqueror turrets became available. Once they did the Centurion turrets were swapped out and the vehicle become Conqueror. A good book on the subject is Bob Griffin's Conqueror; all you could want to know on the subject.:laugh:

[GeePig]

I hope you don't mind me jumping Balmae. - There are several controlled impact areas. That is areas that are contaminated with one thing or another; the Chieftain P5 is sat in one of them. I doubt that one will be "Cleared" in our lifetime. Shame really. The Comet 28 is often shot today with all sorts of high explosive; most of the other targets haven't been shot at for years. The Tortoise was engaged by yours truly about 1978 from a Khalid at night firing DS/T. All the big holes in it are from APDS from Chieftain.

 

I see, so some other generation will maybe get the chance to rescue those...

 

For the Khalid (I had to look that up), was that for trials or training?

 

trevor

[Balmae]

Conqueror turret is later than the hull, the vehicle, 07 BA 74 was originally built as a Caernarvon; that is this hull with a Centurion turret. It was produced to give the user experience operating such a large vehicle until the Conqueror turrets became available. Once they did the Centurion turrets were swapped out and the vehicle become Conqueror. A good book on the subject is Bob Griffin's Conqueror; all you could want to know on the subject.:laugh:

 

Thanks again for that, will check that book out, probably one of my favourite wrecks on the site and still fairly intact inside also.

 

I see, so some other generation will maybe get the chance to rescue those...

 

For the Khalid (I had to look that up), was that for trials or training?

 

trevor

 

Not likely to be any generations for thousands of years!

[challenger]

I see, so some other generation will maybe get the chance to rescue those...

 

For the Khalid (I had to look that up), was that for trials or training?

 

trevor

The Khalid episode was trying a new, well new then, night sight for the commander. We shot at the Tortoise because it was a big three dimensional target at about 1200m.

[mash]

Spotted these two in Wales the other week, there are a lot more in the impact area including ferrets and a good scattering of 432s.

 

 

[eddy8men]

is that sennybridge ?

[mash]

Yes these two are B range.

[eddy8men]

cheers

i'd love to get on there one day

[Lauren Child]

Kirkcudbright No 25. Comet

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]115171[/ATTACH]

 

 

This one has covers over the exhaust fishtail ports. Remembering that the early Comets didnt have fishtail exhausts, I wonder if that's significant.

[Lauren Child]

This one has covers over the exhaust fishtail ports. Remembering that the early Comets didnt have fishtail exhausts, I wonder if that's significant.

 

Thought so, it's an early type B Comet from before the fishtail exhausts were available, so just at the point of transition for hull types. Whether that means it's a wartime one or not, I don't know.

[Balmae]

It's an early, A hull Comet which used a Cromwell style rear hull design. That featured internal fishtails that discharged upwards immediately in front of the rear plate. B type hulls used the armoured, external fishtails.

 

Rarer than B types but then they always were! There are a few A types in preservation.

 

To elaborate a little, early type A had a plain rear plate, lower on the top edge which was made up to full height with a welded sheet metal extension as per Cromwell. Later rear plates were full height and drilled for fishtails, though the holes were covered with square blanking plates. These may be B type hulls but lacking the external fishtails due to a supply problem presumably.

True B type hulls have the external fishtails.

 

Thought so, it's an early type B Comet from before the fishtail exhausts were available, so just at the point of transition for hull types. Whether that means it's a wartime one or not, I don't know.

 

Adrian touched on this with some great info earlier in the thread. Cheers

[Balmae]

Never noticed the difference in Comet hulls when I photographed them 2011. When in green working up there in the seventies the place was awash with old vehicles; three Churchill Toads, Centurion target tank, lots of Chieftains, four or five Conquerors, many Sherman and lots and lots of Daimler Armoured cars. We used to use a hull from a Charioteer as a high speed smoke generator for laser tests also an Austin Champ for the same. There was also a Daimler Armoured car in the park at Kirk also one in Dalbeattie. Both removed some time ago because of children falling off them. I think they were both cut up for scrap.

 

 

Just found some info on them playground Daimlers, seems they were saved after all. cheers

 

http://www.daimler-fighting-vehicles.co.uk/page36.html