Fort Lewis Army Museum Tank Park Pictures

Torplexed · 04-24-16, 12:37 PM

Having driven by it for years, I decided to pay a visit to the Fort Lewis Army Museum. It's not the Bovington Tank Museum or the IWM, but it's the closest I'm gonna get in this moss-covered corner of the world.

It's a bit of work to visit since as a civilian you have to "hurry up and wait" for a visitors pass to get on the base.

It's not a US Army base without a venerable Sherman. Luckily, the nearest Tigers are locked up in a zoo up in Seattle.

M-24 Chaffee Light Tank. All the tanks are in the open, so they take a beating from the incessant North Pacific damp.

Something of a rare bird, the super-heavy M 103 tank from the 1950s. Only 300 were made and I think they were considered something of an under-powered failure.

The M42 "Duster" self-propelled AA mount. Useful against ground targets too.

M-55 Howitzer of Vietnam War vintage.

Nike Missile System. There are some bases for this missile in the area that are in a state of decay. So is this missile for that matter.

M8 "Greyhound" Armored Car.

Don't know what this is, but I want one.

The only non domestic tanks on display look like ex-Iraqi ones.
I believe this is a Type 59 of Chinese manufacture.

A BMP armored personnel carrier I think, probably ex-Iraqi too.

S21 Gvozdika 122mm self-propelled artillery piece.

M-60 Patton tank from the Vietnam War era.

Sheridan Light tank.

And, the diminutive M5 Stuart. I took the picture from ground level to make it look bigger.

Torplexed · 04-24-16, 12:39 PM

By the way, if anyone could identify this vehicle for me, I'd appreciate it. I think it's a MTLB, but I'm not sure.

Catfish · 04-24-16, 12:50 PM

Thanks for the pictures

The car you want is probably a Volkswagen Beetle chassis with another body, front axle looks like it

Aktungbby · 04-24-16, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Don't know what this is, but I want one.

That looks a lot like a FAV fast attack vehicle used by SEALs and could carry a tow missile... I want one too!

As one who grew up on the RAT Patrol show

:

Quote:

The original tests used commercial dune buggies modified to carry weapons such as TOW missiles and recoilless rifles. The recoilless rifles still had enough recoil to flip the lightweight dune buggies and were abandoned. The TOW missiles had much greater success, but they violated existing Army TOW doctrine. The Army had determined that a TOW needed a 3-man team to operate it. The DPVs could only carry a two-man crew and they seemed perfectly capable of operating the TOW, but this would have meant revising Army doctrine and possibly changing TOW deployment throughout the Army. Fort Benning decided to offer a "superior" DPV design that allowed a third crewman. This design was rejected by the HTLD team and was never produced.
The basic weapons on a DPV consist of a heavy .50 caliber M2 Browning machine gun, two lighter 7.62×51mm M60 machine guns, and two M136 AT4 anti-armor weapons. In some cases, the driver's M60 or the gunner's M2 is replaced with a 40 mm Mk 19 grenade launcher. Other light machine guns such as the M240 machine gun or 5.56×45mm M249 SAW can also be mounted.

Torplexed · 04-24-16, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aktungbby

That looks a lot like a FAV fast attack vehicle used by SEALs and could carry a tow missile... I want one too! As one who grew up on the RAT Patrol show

:

I think this one was the XR 311 Experimental High Mobility Vehicle or something like that. I know it had an "X" in it.

Probably did better service as a recruiting tool than as a recon vehicle.

Aktungbby · 04-24-16, 01:03 PM

MY favorite comic book character

< 'Jeb Stuart' was based on this!

Torplexed · 04-24-16, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aktungbby

MY favorite comic book character < 'Jeb Stuart' was based on this!

The Stuart always struck me as a funky, almost toy-like looking tank.

All those square angles and shot traps. It was good to see an actual living example, though.

Aktungbby · 04-24-16, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Torplexed

I think this one was the XR 311 Experimental High Mobility Vehicle or something like that. I know it had an "X" in it.

Probably did better service as a recruiting tool than as a recon vehicle.

'XR 311' still brings up my link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_Patrol_Vehicle Catfish is right on! It was based on the VW Kübelwagon rear-wheel drive: Recruiting tool? NOPE! The first U.S. forces to enter Kuwait City were United States Navy SEALs in DPVs. I'd need an ice pack 'Kabooti' seat

for my Kübelwagon'd cahones bouncing around in that !

Torplexed · 04-24-16, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aktungbby

'XR 311' still brings up my link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_Patrol_Vehicle Catfish is right on! It was based on the VW Kübelwagon rear-wheel drive: The first U.S. forces to enter Kuwait City were United States Navy SEALs in DPVs. I'd need an ice pack 'Kabooti' seat for my Kübelwagon'd cahones bouncing around in that !

I'll go with that then.

Speaking of Iraq, they have Saddam's Head on display inside the museum if anyone wants to speak to him.

Eichhörnchen · 04-24-16, 01:24 PM

Do you mind if I use that 'Sherman' photo as a reference for a painting sometime?

Rockstar · 04-24-16, 01:29 PM

But did you have one of these!

Torplexed · 04-24-16, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eichhörnchen

Do you mind if I use that 'Sherman' photo as a reference for a painting sometime?

No problem.

I don't think the US Army would mind either.

Here's a few additional pictures if you need more visual reference. Just try to leave out the rust and the bent bits.

Aktungbby · 04-24-16, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rockstar

But did you have one of these!

NOPE! Still got mine:

Rockstar · 04-24-16, 01:41 PM

I went to high school in the Panama Canal Zone and back then the U.S. Army would once a year come to school and give us rides in M113 APCs. Things could haul butt, fly over hills and land ever so soft.

Then these would land in the football field and take on passengers for a trip across the bay and up the Chagres River high speed low level.

They probabaly dont do stuff like that anymore.

Torplexed · 04-24-16, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rockstar

But did you have one of these!

Haha. I did actually have one of those as a kid until I broke the thermos throwing it as a demo charge.

Hey, they did have the GI Joe-Bob Hope Action Figure on museum display. I don't know if Kung-Fu grip was included.

04-24-16, 12:37 PM	#1
Torplexed Let's Sink Sumptin' ! Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 5,823 Downloads: 43 Uploads: 0	Fort Lewis Army Museum Tank Park Pictures Having driven by it for years, I decided to pay a visit to the Fort Lewis Army Museum. It's not the Bovington Tank Museum or the IWM, but it's the closest I'm gonna get in this moss-covered corner of the world. It's a bit of work to visit since as a civilian you have to "hurry up and wait" for a visitors pass to get on the base. It's not a US Army base without a venerable Sherman. Luckily, the nearest Tigers are locked up in a zoo up in Seattle. M-24 Chaffee Light Tank. All the tanks are in the open, so they take a beating from the incessant North Pacific damp. Something of a rare bird, the super-heavy M 103 tank from the 1950s. Only 300 were made and I think they were considered something of an under-powered failure. The M42 "Duster" self-propelled AA mount. Useful against ground targets too. M-55 Howitzer of Vietnam War vintage. Nike Missile System. There are some bases for this missile in the area that are in a state of decay. So is this missile for that matter. M8 "Greyhound" Armored Car. Don't know what this is, but I want one. The only non domestic tanks on display look like ex-Iraqi ones. I believe this is a Type 59 of Chinese manufacture. A BMP armored personnel carrier I think, probably ex-Iraqi too. S21 Gvozdika 122mm self-propelled artillery piece. M-60 Patton tank from the Vietnam War era. Sheridan Light tank. And, the diminutive M5 Stuart. I took the picture from ground level to make it look bigger. __________________ --Mobilis in Mobili-- Last edited by Torplexed; 04-24-16 at 01:59 PM.

04-24-16, 12:39 PM	#2
Torplexed Let's Sink Sumptin' ! Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 5,823 Downloads: 43 Uploads: 0	By the way, if anyone could identify this vehicle for me, I'd appreciate it. I think it's a MTLB, but I'm not sure. __________________ --Mobilis in Mobili--

04-24-16, 12:50 PM	#3
Catfish Dipped Squirrel Operative Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: ..where the ocean meets the sky Posts: 17,766 Downloads: 38 Uploads: 0	Thanks for the pictures The car you want is probably a Volkswagen Beetle chassis with another body, front axle looks like it __________________ >^..^<*)))>{ All generalizations are wrong.

04-24-16, 01:03 PM	#6
Aktungbby Gefallen Engel U-666 Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: On a tilted, overheated, overpopulated spinning mudball on Collision course with Andromeda Galaxy Posts: 29,999 Downloads: 24 Uploads: 0	MY favorite comic book character < 'Jeb Stuart' was based on this! __________________ "Only two things are infinite; The Universe and human squirrelyness?!!

04-24-16, 01:24 PM	#10
Eichhörnchen Starte das Auto Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: The Fens Posts: 17,381 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	Do you mind if I use that 'Sherman' photo as a reference for a painting sometime? __________________

04-24-16, 01:29 PM	#11
Rockstar In the Brig Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Zendia Bar & Grill Posts: 12,614 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	But did you have one of these!

04-24-16, 01:41 PM	#14
Rockstar In the Brig Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Zendia Bar & Grill Posts: 12,614 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	I went to high school in the Panama Canal Zone and back then the U.S. Army would once a year come to school and give us rides in M113 APCs. Things could haul butt, fly over hills and land ever so soft. Then these would land in the football field and take on passengers for a trip across the bay and up the Chagres River high speed low level. They probabaly dont do stuff like that anymore.