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24-04-2010, 08:38 AM
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#1
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numbskull
Country: United Kingdom
Location: South
Occupation: none
Interests: none
Boat name: Leviathan
Boat make: Phantom 28
Cruising area: South Coast
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: South
Posts: 15,959
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Recovered after 62 years
WWII Russian tank with German markings uncovered after 62 years. WWII Buffs will find this interesting.
Even after 62 years (and a little tinkering), they were able to fire up the Diesel engine!
A Komatsu D375A-2 bulldozer pulled the abandoned tank from its tomb under the boggy bank of a lake
near Johvi , Estonia . The Soviet-built T34/76A tank had been resting at the bottom of the lake for 56
years. According to its specifications, it's a 27-ton machine, with a top speed of 53km/hr.
From February to September 1944, heavy battles were fought in the narrow, 50 km-wide, Narva Front in the northeastern part of Estonia . Over 100,000 men were killed and 300,000 men were wounded there. During battles in the summer of 1944, the tank was captured from the Soviet army and used by the German army.
(This is the reason that there are German markings painted on the tank's exterior.)
On 19th September, 1944, German troops began an organized retreat along the Narva front. It is suspected that the tank was then purposefully driven into the lake to conceal it when its captors left the area.
At that time, a local boy walking by the lake, Kurtna Matasjarv, noticed tank tracks leading into the lake but
not coming out anywhere. For two months he saw air bubbles emerging from the lake. This gave him reason
to believe that there must be an armored vehicle at the lake's' bottom. A few years ago, he told the story to
the leader of the local war history club 'Otsing'. Together with other club members, Mr. Igor Shedunov initiated diving expeditions to the bottom of the lake about a year ago. At the depth of 7 metres they discovered the tank resting under a 3 metre layer of peat.
Enthusiasts from the club, under Mr Shedunov's leadership, decided to pull the tank out.
In September of 2000 they turned to Mr. Aleksander Borovkovthe, manager of the Narva Open Pit company
AS Eesti Polevkivi, to rent the company's Komatsu D375A-2 bulldozer. (Currently used at the pit, the Komatsu dozer was manufactured in 1995, and has recorded 19,000 operating hours without major repairs.)
The pulling operation began at 09:00 and was concluded at 15:00, with several technical breaks. The weight of the tank, combined with the travel incline, made for a pulling operation that required significant muscle. The D375A-2 handled the operation with power and style. The weight of the fully-armed tank was around 30 tons,
so the active force required to retrieve it was similar.
A main requirement for the 68-ton dozer was to have enough weight to prevent slippage while moving up the hill.
After the tank surfaced, it turned out to be a 'trophy tank' that had been captured by the German Army in the course of the battle at Sinimaed (Blue Hills) about six weeks before it was sunk in the lake. Altogether, 116 shells were found on board. Remarkably, the tank was in good condition, with NO RUST, and all systems (except the engine) in working condition. This is a very rare machine, especially considering that it fought both on the Russian and the German sides. Plans are underway to fully restore the tank. It will be displayed at a war history museum in the Gorodenko village on the left bank of the River Narv.
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"I Agree with everything you say really!" - John Cooke to Jon Fuller - 26-01-2013
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24-04-2010, 08:39 AM
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#2
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numbskull
Country: United Kingdom
Location: South
Occupation: none
Interests: none
Boat name: Leviathan
Boat make: Phantom 28
Cruising area: South Coast
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: South
Posts: 15,959
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More...
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"I Agree with everything you say really!" - John Cooke to Jon Fuller - 26-01-2013
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24-04-2010, 11:13 AM
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#3
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Registered User
Country: UK
Location: Somerset
Occupation: old bloke
Interests: Water Ski Racing, Basic Racing
Boat name: Bad Boy 717, Hotshot 777
Boat make: Phantom 21, Phantom 21
Engines: JSRE Merc 2.5 EFIss 280hp, Merc 2.5 x 2
Cruising area: Weymouth, Weston and rest of UK
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Somerset
Posts: 529
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truely amazing
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24-04-2010, 11:34 AM
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#4
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timtap
Country: England
Location: Paignton Devon
Occupation: Ex Marine Engineer , Licencee
Interests: Photography, Real Ale .
Boat name: Shooters Too
Boat make: Scarab 22SC
Engines: Mercruiser 270hp
Cruising area: South West
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Paignton Devon
Posts: 333
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Tanks for that !!!! Very interesting !!!
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ʎɐqǝ uo pɹɐoqʎǝʞ ɐ ʎnq ı ǝɯıʇ ʇsɐן ǝɥʇ sı sıɥʇ.
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24-04-2010, 02:30 PM
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#5
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Registered User
Country: shropshire england.
Location: oswestry
Occupation: Retired
Interests: Yodelling
Boat name: Veni Vidi Vici or Conked
Boat make: G.P.14
Engines: 4h.p. Mercury
Cruising area: Cap de Agde
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: oswestry
Posts: 1,311
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Your next project for Scrapheap Challenge? Nah,it will never float.
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when in doubt trim outCARPE DIEM
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24-04-2010, 03:29 PM
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#6
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Registered User
Country: US
Location: Virginia
Interests: Quiet desperation
Boat name: A Little Noisy
Boat make: Excalibur 24
Engines: Express Racing 525
Cruising area: Mobjack Bay (where?)
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Virginia
Posts: 1,974
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And they said the cheap and cheerful T34 would never last.
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I thought that having more patience was a result of my getting older. Turns out that I just don't give a sh*t.
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24-04-2010, 06:58 PM
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#7
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 670
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cant believe the condition...even the paint and markings are in A1 order
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25-04-2010, 08:44 AM
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#8
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Registered User
Country: United Kingdom
Location: Essex Boy
Occupation: Jack of all trades
Interests: Fast Boats, Fast Cars, Loose Women
Boat name: 197 / Well Dodgy Too
Boat make: Cyclone 21ft Twin
Engines: 2 x Mercury Offshore ??
Cruising area: Essex Buoy
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Essex Boy
Posts: 179
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no rust
if this tank was in the mud with not much oxygen around then no real problem no oxydisation no rust dave
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25-04-2010, 10:12 PM
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#9
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On a roll
Country: England
Location: Plymouth
Occupation: Anything in metal
Interests: Bristol Rovers, Cider & Boats
Boat name: Aqua Thunder, Badboy
Boat make: Bernico F2, Phantom 21
Engines: Merc 280efi, Merc 260efi
Cruising area: Worldwide
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Plymouth
Posts: 2,249
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bad Boy 717
truely amazing
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Its nearly as old as you mate
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All hail to Jail Ale
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26-04-2010, 07:37 AM
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#10
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Registered User
Country: Guernsey
Occupation: Engineering
Boat make: None, boo!
Engines: Turbines mainly!
Cruising area: The inside of my workshop!
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,646
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Wow!!
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26-04-2010, 08:13 PM
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#11
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Registered User
Country: uk
Location: blackpool
Interests: boats/sportsbikes
Boat make: fletcher gto
Engines: merc 200
Cruising area: wyre estuary
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: blackpool
Posts: 114
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I understand that when the Yanks left the UK they buried most of their kit, including jeeps & tanks, rather than take them home.
If this is true i don,t know why we never hear of any of their gear being dug up & restored
We went over to Normandy for the 50th aniversery of D Day. The yank veterans were there in force in restored shermans & jeeps in full uniform. It was a fantastic weekend & the french put on a great show but they had to ban the tanks from the villages because they were churning up the tarmac !.
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26-04-2010, 09:37 PM
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#12
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Registered User
Country: UK
Location: Somerset
Occupation: old bloke
Interests: Water Ski Racing, Basic Racing
Boat name: Bad Boy 717, Hotshot 777
Boat make: Phantom 21, Phantom 21
Engines: JSRE Merc 2.5 EFIss 280hp, Merc 2.5 x 2
Cruising area: Weymouth, Weston and rest of UK
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Somerset
Posts: 529
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan
Its nearly as old as you mate
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Thanks, and was thinking of letting you use the engine. . . .
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27-04-2010, 08:23 AM
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#13
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BananaShark Member
Country: UK
Location: Salcombe South Devon
Occupation: Racer and builder
Interests: Winning races
Boat name: BananaShark
Boat make: BananaShark 34' Race
Engines: Twin Yanmar BY 260's
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Salcombe South Devon
Posts: 4,638
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I was told there is a big very deep hole off the South Devon coast near us where a lot of US and British stuff has been dumped.
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Cookee
British Champions! RIB Formula 1 2005
National Speed Record Holder at 90.15 (still)
www.bananasharkracing.com
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27-04-2010, 09:25 AM
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#14
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Registered User
Location: Bournemouth
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Bournemouth
Posts: 391
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cookee
I was told there is a big very deep hole off the South Devon coast near us where a lot of US and British stuff has been dumped.
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Is that France?
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You can never go fast enough...
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27-04-2010, 12:20 PM
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#15
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BananaShark Member
Country: UK
Location: Salcombe South Devon
Occupation: Racer and builder
Interests: Winning races
Boat name: BananaShark
Boat make: BananaShark 34' Race
Engines: Twin Yanmar BY 260's
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Salcombe South Devon
Posts: 4,638
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Wildey
Is that France?
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__________________
Cookee
British Champions! RIB Formula 1 2005
National Speed Record Holder at 90.15 (still)
www.bananasharkracing.com
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27-04-2010, 02:01 PM
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#16
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Registered User
Country: uk
Location: poole
Occupation: retail
Interests: sport and being lazy
Boat make: ring rib
Engines: merc xr2
Cruising area: bournemouth bay
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: poole
Posts: 1,681
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First off I thought the title of this thread ( Recovered after 62 years ) was regarding our illustrious leader and some Phantom Illness , but then I realised what a cracking story it is
Their were 5 tanks sunk of Studland Bay Poole and a plane crashed into the sand bar, think I've banged me bottom on them a few times in the past
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i can na give her any more captain
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29-04-2010, 12:37 PM
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#17
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On a roll
Country: England
Location: Plymouth
Occupation: Anything in metal
Interests: Bristol Rovers, Cider & Boats
Boat name: Aqua Thunder, Badboy
Boat make: Bernico F2, Phantom 21
Engines: Merc 280efi, Merc 260efi
Cruising area: Worldwide
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Plymouth
Posts: 2,249
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bad Boy 717
Thanks, and was thinking of letting you use the engine. . . .
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Ah, but Scott, you look so much better for your years my very good frined
you know it would make sense, I mean you wouldnt want it stood much longer would you
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All hail to Jail Ale
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30-04-2010, 12:32 PM
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#18
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Registered User
Location: Bournemouth
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Bournemouth
Posts: 391
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cfun
Their were 5 tanks sunk of Studland Bay Poole and a plane crashed into the sand bar, think I've banged me bottom on them a few times in the
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Never dived on them myself but here
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