https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ne...hibious-vehicle.html

I live about twenty miles form the location of the vehicle you see. Most of the part of the landscape in which it was buried, including the village of Crowland and its environs, are at or slightly below sea level, and are kept from flooding by the efforts of a couple of thousand Dutchmen under the management of a Dutch land engineer called Vermuyden back in the late 17th century at the behest of King Charles II. All that effort century goes most of the way to explaining why the Fenland, as it is called, exists in its present state, and is not, as was formerly the case, under water. The water level in general is controlled by numerous dykes and pumping stations, including the principal water control of the Denver sluice. The Vermuyden earthworks can be seen from space, and include the New Bedford River/Drain in Cambridgeshire among others of similar dimensions. The arrow-like straightness is a giveaway.

Many of the Dutch workers settled here in East Anglia after their tasks had been completed, which explains the huge number of Dutch names in the area, and the dominance of Dutch architectural styles on buildings, especially the port of Wisbech. Many Dutch settlers ended up managing the hundred of windmills, just like they had done back in Holland, and a few have survived. Most, however, were replaced by huge steam pumping stations, like those at Dogdyke Fen and Stretham - both popular visitor locations of local industrial archeology. They, in their turn, have been superceded by diesel pumps of no real interest to historians or lovers of the landscape.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: tacfoley,

Very cool.

However, this one is a LVT-4 "Buffalo".

The LVT-1 "Alligator" was the early 1941 version of the LVT, as used by the USMC on Guadalcanal.

The LVT concept was redesigned with the LVT-2 in 1942, and renamed "Water Buffalo" (American) or just "Buffalo" (British), with this -4 version being a further 1943 update of the Mark 2 "Buffalo" design.

"That car wash guy is going to have a heart attack when he sees what we brung him!"

Interesting, wonder what started the idea to recover the tank, interesting in the article it says there are two of these LVY in that hole.

In March 1947, 16 Buffalo tanks were deployed by the government to Crowland after floods, which came after a combination of heavy snow, a sudden thaw, high tides, rain and wind, caused the River Welland to break its banks. Around 30,000 acres of land around Crowland were flooded and some people were made homeless temporarily. As the waters continued to rise, the tanks were brought in to help seal the breach and to act as dams. When the water was pumped back into the flood plain, the water got under some of the Buffalos and five of them floated away. One was recovered, two sank in fishing pits and two are in the hole where the team is now digging.

Fascinating.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
Very cool.

However, this one is a LVT-4 "Buffalo".

The LVT-1 "Alligator" was the early 1941 version of the LVT, as used by the USMC on Guadalcanal.

The LVT concept was redesigned with the LVT-2 in 1942, and renamed "Water Buffalo" (American) or just "Buffalo" (British), with this -4 version being a further 1943 update of the Mark 2 "Buffalo" design.

Thank you. I've corrected my text header.

I love how any military vehicle with tracks is a "Tank" to the media. I lost track of how many times the word "tank" was used in that article. A LVT-4 is not now and never has been a tank. Lots of things have tracks and are not tanks. Self-propelled artillery, APC's, IFV's, logistic vehicles, amphibious assault vehicles (LVT-4 being one), etc. None of them are tanks. The media is so obsessed with "fact checkers" yet they can't seem to find one for this article. Rant over.

Just quoting the article, me.

After thirty-three years in the Army, including ten years teaching at an INTEL school - and the last five heading it - I sure know what makes a tank a tank.

quote:

Originally posted by architect:
"That car wash guy is going to have a heart attack when he sees what we brung him!"

VERY nice

I have had a chance to be around a couple of WW2/Korean war era LVT's. When I was an Instructor in the MOS school for AAV's they opened a small museum. Almost entirely done by a Sgt if I remember correctly.
http://www.amtrac.org/2atmc/museum/gatorgalley.asp