What is It?

[Iwo Jim]

Take a look at these...................

It sits in a park in Wierton,WV there is a plack that reads "Experimental Tank British top U.S. bottom only one ever made"....Now to me the turret clearly looks like and M48 .....the hull appears to be cast but I'm not sure and look at the rear of the hull it looks like a hatch which is curious....I'm just curious if anyone has an idea about what it is.....:chin:

[keif149]

I think it would have to be before the M-60 series. Maybe a late M-47 or some sort of hybrid M-48. Spent about a half an hour looking at photos, and nothing matches that rear photo.

[keif149]

Is it off Rt.2? Next time I'm down that way I'll stop and check it out.

[Iwo Jim]

Yes its right off Rt 2 and 22 if your coming from Stuebenville take that 1st downtown exit right off the the bridge you can't miss it, there is also an A-7 Corsair, Cobra gunship and a few Artillery pieces...I think its called Freedom park or something like that

[AlienXXX]

Hello.

I would not know the model of the tank and I am by no means an expert in military vehicles.

But the thing at the back does not look like a hatch to me: too big and no handle.
And what are the hooks at the top? Again a feature you would not expect to find in a hatch.

It looks to me more like some kind of hanger structure where you could suspend some sort of equipment. - maybe an engineering bridge?

[DanCleary]

Wrong road wheels for M-60. Hull and tracks look more Soviet than West. Turret looks something like the one off the super heavy US tank that was planned/scraped I think at the end or right after WW2.

[Greybeard]

Hello All,

Boy - what a mess.. I'd say this is a Auto-Shop attempt to utilize existing/captured components.. or maybe the motor-pool guys had too much time on their hands and needed a toy to play with...

1) - Turret assy from M48 - has to be early - no commander coupla or AA mount provision
2) - Suspension/running gear from a T-54/T-55/Comet??
3) - fenders and utilily boxes from a M41 Bulldog
4) upper hull looks like it has a hatch from a M-48, but the casting/weldment has to be original to the vehicle - vast portion of lower hull may be T-54/55/Comet - until you reach the mess at the rear
5) - Exhaust fixtures also based on the M41/M42 tanks
6) - that big 'ol box on the back??.. well, they ran out of money/ideas and had to enclose the powerplant with something.. looks like the powerplant didn't fit real well with the running gear anyway.. sticks out of the hull horribly
7) certainly a 90mm gun.. too short for a 120, too large for a 76mm..
8) note the extension above the hull deck for the turret to sit on.. bet it was added later when they figured out the powerplant wasn't going to fit.. looks like they welded the ring on top of the hull deck.. no way that the turret would rotate 360 sitting where it ought to be..

** if it looks like this on the outside, wonder what the fighting compartment looked like.. - or even if the crew could work in there??

Don't think the UK would have built this.. would be an insult to their techology of the early 50's that resulted with a marvelous 105mm gun, and the Centurion platform..

Just my 2 cents worth..

:) Greybeard

[Weasel]

-Turret yes from M48
-suspension not from T54/55 as the T55 only has a space between the first and second road wheel. However, the spacing of the road wheels does fit that of the AMX-30, as does the slope of the glacis plate, but the AMX-30 has return rollers whereas the above does not. The road wheel configuration does fit that of the T62, but the hull in incorrect.

In other words I agree with Steve, what a mess!

[Fubar]

Maybe this was the winning entry in a 'Pimp my tank' competition. :stir:

[RedDevil]

It is a T-95 :) only 2 survive.

Here's some more reading on it

Click This LINK for more reading on the T 95