restoration CVRT Sabre 02-FD-17

[Hen Hunter]

Here is my (Scorpoled) Sabre 02-FD-17 which I bought a few years ago from Scotland. I have not done much with her - she starts and runs OK ish - a fair bit of back firing and general shaking, so I have not dare go too far in it just in case of a breakdown.

 

I have the basic history from from the tank Museum. The date in service was 1972.

 

1972 VD Ludgershall

30/04/73 RAC Centre

07/02/75 VD Ludgerhall

12/05/76 RAE DET West FREUGH

03/02/77 VD Ludgershall

20/12/77 QDG BAOR

16/01/78 VSD M'Gladbach BAOR ?

01/06/78 1BR Corp Veh Coy Recklinghausen BAOR

28/09/78 VSD M'Gladbach

19/12/78 O D Antwerp

18/10/79 Conversion 0860 7400 To 0860 8450

20/11/79 16/5 Lancers BAOR

08/11/80 2 RTR BAOR

10/01/84 Life Gds R/P

24/01/84 R.H. GDS BAOR

05/11/86 15/19 Hussars BAOR

11/04/96 Code Change 0860 TO 0861 K22

24/05/99 Move toA5969A Batch P18

 

12/05/04 S/O WSV Ltd

Edited April 22, 2013 by Hen Hunter

[sirhc]

Bruce,

 

The line for 1979 would not be when it was converted to a Sabre, that would have been around 1995. You are missing the later history which would have been in the Merlin database and not on a record card.

 

Chris

[Hen Hunter]

Hi Chris,

 

Just looked at the Merlin paperwork and amended the history accordingly. Could it have been converted when the code changed to 0861 K22 on 11/04/96?

 

Do you think it would be a shame to turn it back into an original Scorpion (It still has the single front 76mm shell rack by the gunners foot intact).

 

The rear of it has some an interesting extra Armour plate and some other alterations.

Edited April 22, 2013 by Hen Hunter

[Hen Hunter]

Rear alterations. It has been in desert colour in the past.

[sirhc]

Could have been converted in 96. I'll have to see what my Merlin reports say about the conversion. People have converted Sabres back to Scorpions, easy enough to do but remember the front side/indicators are different and you would need to remove some bins etc.

[Hen Hunter]

Drivers rear corner.

[timbo]

Hi Bruce

 

If you decide to do the conversion can I have first dibs on the front bins and indicators please!?

 

Cheers

Tim

[Hen Hunter]

Hi Tim,

 

Yes, you can have them if they become spare - you will have to be patient though - my projects tend to go in fits and spurts!:undecided:

[AlienFTM]

Here is my (Scorpoled) Sabre 02-FD-17 which I bought a few years ago from Scotland. I have not done much with her - she starts and runs OK ish - a fair bit of back firing and general shaking, so I have not dare go too far in it just in case of a breakdown.

 

I have the basic history from from the tank Museum. The date in service was 1972.

 

16/01/78 VSD M'Gladbach BAOR ?

 

18/10/79 Conversion 0860 7400 To 0860 8450

20/11/79 16/5 Lancers BAOR

 

05/11/86 15/19 Hussars BAOR

 

 

Interesting. Points:

 

VSD Monchengladbach makes sense. Last couple of months of 1977, 15/19H and 3 Armd Div settled into the BFG Orbat and spent much time up and down the Autobahn collecting kit from Munchingstrapback as we called it. Lots of kit in the VSD (co-located with CPO BAOR where I later attended a course but that's another story).

 

My guess is the 1979 conversion was to Clansman, since that's when 1 Armd Div got it, and 16/5L, the vehicle's next owner, were 1 Armd Div Armd Recce Regt.

 

The 1986 15/19H line intrigues me. 15/19H left Paderborn in 1984 (the night my son was born I took a ferry home via Zeebrugge and met two old buddies from the rear party on their way). They went to Bovvy as RAC Centre Regiment, then a couple of years later went to Detmold as a Chieftain regiment. So why they took a Scorpion onto the books in 1986 is a mystery to me. Scorpion was a medium recce vehicle but MBT regiments got Scimitar for close recce (and unless things had changed - I was long gone - close recce was provided by a troop from the close recce squadron of the divisional Armd Recce Regt anyway). You may wish to clarify this with my old mucker Bazz, who was still with the regiment.

 

Scorpole. I doubt you'll find a CVR(T) (except maybe a new build if there are any) that wasn't Scorpoled. Op Scorpole was a rolling programme of upgrades, refits and retrofits to CVR(T)s to bring them up to the current build status. When a vehicle got pulled (overdue an upgrade or too many assemblies needed replacing) it was replaced with a brand "new" one ex-Scorpole. The term "new" is misleading. Once the build runs were complete, there was no such thing as a new CVR(T). Scorpole was a mirror of Op Bargepole that kept Chieftains up to date. Nowadays Abrams (and presumably CR2) tanks go through a similar process. Watch out for an episode of Megafactories on a satellite channel. There was every likelihood the "new" Scorpion was older than the one on its way out.

 

Oh and for the record, I crewed 02FD14 in 1981.

[Hen Hunter]

I can see i need to get my atlas out and see where you guys were based! What was it like serving with the BAOR?. Thanks for the post - very interesting.

[AlienFTM]

I can see i need to get my atlas out and see where you guys were based! What was it like serving with the BAOR?. Thanks for the post - very interesting.

 

I do believe that question has been asked in here before and with a bit of forum searching, you'll find out exactly what BAOR was like.

 

Here you go;

 

http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?20533-Was-it-really-that-much-fun-being-in-the-british-army-in-germany-in-the-70s-80s&p=365825#post365825

Edited April 29, 2013 by AlienFTM

[timbo]

I do believe that question has been asked in here before and with a bit of forum searching, you'll find out exactly what BAOR was like.

 

Here you go;

 

http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?20533-Was-it-really-that-much-fun-being-in-the-british-army-in-germany-in-the-70s-80s&p=365825#post365825

 

That was a great thread - well worth revisiting...

[Hen Hunter]

Serving with the BAOR - A very interesting thread what i have read so far - I can just imagine all the mess made during the exercises, as all the armour turned off the roads and disappeared into the countryside across the farmers fields, knocking down barns that got in the way!!! (Also shocked that people often died during such exercises!).

 

 

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