Main Gun stabilisers

Hello,

I sit with telly on near me when browisng etc at the computer. The other day of interest was a few hours of the series about TANK Preservation. Some pieces attract more of my atention than others obviously.

During one episode dealing with the problems of keeping a gun in line etc I am sure I heard it mentioned that while the German was trying to stabilise a whole tank by its track and wheel system the USA had invented this little clever electric gyroscopic system. I was unable to reverse the program to find out the exact wording so cannot guarantee the accuracy of my memory.

Altough my association with the 'centurian' tank at the time was hardly that close I remember being told that that the stabilising unit on the gun contained something that could only be tampered with by certain specialsits because it was a very secret peice of equipment and that it was a british Invention. Of course this sort of information does create a sense of pride in the loyal subject so to hear someting different creates a sort of mental confusion.

Is this an american invention similar to the

JET ENGINE-----------HARRIER JUMP JET-----------have they claimed CHOBHAM Armour. You know what I mean. Somone protoypes our Government cheapskates and the US or some other nation provide the finacial backing to improve and then can appear to be the inventing nation.

Of course all of us recruits might have been the victim of our mentors and instructors desire to make us believe we were the INVINCIBLE NATION.LOL.

I see that stabilisng had been toyed with even by the Germans pre WW2. It was I read part of Naval Gunery set up for a long time but would it have been too large. I remember a boxy cylindrical sort of thing not very large near to the gunners area.

scarletman

I saw the same programme, is that the one about the IOW tank museum? its just across the water from me, i must take a trip over there sometime.

I dont know much about the gyroscope issue, but I would be surprised if the americans had invented it before anyone else. If you think that the Germans had been working on their armour for years, im sure they must have been working on it.

I'm not sure why but I've always had the impression that Chobham armour was a British invention, the name Chobham coming from Chobham common where it was developed at the British tank research centre. But I wouldnt be surprised if the US tr to claim they invented it.

I just watched a programme about the Abrams tank and if you knew nothing about tanks you would have thought that its the only tank in the world, or that everyone else is still driving round in Shermans....

Hi Gents,

I had a Cent in the mid '70s. Admittedely it was an OP Cent but it was equipped with that superb Vickers 105mm gun (the same as the early W german Leopards). The gun was certainly stabilised from a gyro "black box" and it was *******dangerous, flailing around inside and outside the turret whenever we went over uneven ground. The Loader had to watch where the Breach was going and the Driver had to watch his head. Nevertheless, a very effective weapon system that proved its worth in Korea (and in the Middle East). Once Bore-sighted, the spotting rifle was superb - tat, tat, tat - fire. Never a miss! Got some pics somewhere.

Chobham Armour is definitely British

see this wiki link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chobam_armour

I'm pretty sure that the stabilised gun was a Brit invention as well. I'll go off and see what I can find

I couldn't find anything specific about the gun, but this wiki article says that:

1. During the Korean war the cent was by far the best tank of all the combatants

and:

2. It had a stabilised gun.

see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centurion_tank

There was two giroscopes one for traverse and one for elevation. The thing you never did was to stand or pass under the gun. As far as I know it was a British idea and the majority of the equipment was made at Metro-Vicks in Manchester. As mentioned, on a battle run, it was a bit dodgy for the crew in particular for the Loader who had to run with traverse. However this was improved with later versions when a revolving deck was fitted. All in all a great tank and out of the 20 or so I looked after, not one was the same with their own character.

I used to stand on the Tank Road near Kleine Moscow in Osnabruck and watch the Cent's and Conq's go by. Awesome, absolutely awesome.

Jim if you was in Kleine Moscow in the Traz you may have know Pete Ferguson RAOC.

Brian R

Bria,

sorry for the long delay, I changed my laptop and lost the link to this site.

I was only about 12 when we were in Osnabruck.

I belief the first batch of Abrams (M1A1?) had 105mm vickers guns while they were waiting for the rheinmetal 120 smoothbores. I think those made the tank an M1A2.

griff029

griff029 wrote:

I belief the first batch of Abrams (M1A1?) had 105mm vickers guns while they were waiting for the rheinmetal 120 smoothbores. I think those made the tank an M1A2.

griff029

The first batch were M1s, then in 85 they started converting them to the 120, these were then known as the M1A1.

Hi guys.
The centurion had a great gun sytem the stabilizer was fitted under the gun it's self between the guner and the loaders section.
Fired this many times , im glad we had it .
Regards George.