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vagabond

Hi All,

Had a chance to check out AL Post 362 in East Aurora, NY and photograph their extensive displays. Terrific stuff! Regarding the M60A3, the SN in the registry is listed as 1790A and the actual SN is 1709A and RN JJ03WJ.

www.vgbimages.com/AFV-...3/n-xqCbmd

Joe_D

Thanks for Posting this and the others VB,

Glad you corrected the SN for us and provided the RN. This tank is one of the first M60A3's produced in Anniston based on the SN. To my knowledge the Anniston produced M60A3's started with SN 1700A. There are two other Anniston M60A3's with lower SN's, 1706A in Gowanda NY, and 1707A in Morrisonville NY, but I have no confirmation on the SN's. You wouldn't happen to have a picture of the top rear turret of this tank? Looking to see if she has the crosswind sensor stowage bracket and .50 cal interrupter.

vagabond

Glad to contribute, Joe_D!!

Sorry, but I didn't shoot any high angle images on the recent tank runs. I wasn't aware of the significance of the low SN and shot ground based. Dang!

We'll put the other NY M60A3's you mentioned on the to-do list - unless you beat us to them!!

Joe_D

VB,

I doubt I'll be up that way for a while. Only time I really get to take pictures now is if they are along the way I'm traveling, West usually, and I have time to spare.

Here is what I'm talking about. Early M60A3's had a Wind sensor stowage bracket and an interrupter welded to the top of the turret. Former is self explanatory and latter kept the tank commander from shooting out the cross wind sensor if for some reason he was firing over the left rear turret.

X-Wind Sensor Bracket and Interrupter

X-Wind Sensor Stowed

The interrupter is the square loop looking bracket welded next to the cupola. Brand new M60A3's produced at the Detroit Plant came with these along with tanks made From M60A1's at Anniston Army Depot. Somewhere between Detroit SN 1347 and 1364 they dropped this feature. Anniston tanks stopped having them somewhere between SN 1917A and 1964A. What's interesting is some Anniston tanks between these numbers will only have the interrupter but not the stowage bracket. Not sure if they removed the bracket after a later rebuild or they just made them that way while phasing them out. Could also be a crew just bashed it off with a sledge, since it makes it harder to stow stuff (Ammo Crates good example) on top. My Tank in Germany had them and on alerts was a nuisance. Seen two like this and one had the marks where a bracket was installed but removed, other didn't. Also seen an Austrian M60A3 Detroit build with just the Interrupter. One of those head scratching things. Here is one like that

SN 1829A

Might be more out there but hard to know. Very few people take high angle shots and for the most part unless you are looking for this or casting marks really no need. Pretty sure I'm one of the only if only person that really tracks this level of info on M60's. Hobby to me much like others get into Aircraft or Trains. Always look forward to your posts and pictures. My list of Serial and Registration numbers would not be as detailed without them. Thanks again for sharing all your great pictures.

silviop15 · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Oct 03, 2015 Posts: 415

How does the interrupter work? Keep the gun traversing beyond it?

Joe_D

Hits the receiver barrel extension or actual barrel of the .50 cal when the TC is traversing,effectively blocking out the area from being hit by bullets. Initial M60 and M60 A1's did not have them. When the VSS-1 searchlight was introduced they installed them to protect the searchlight when on the gun shield and when stowed in the rear. Front one could be raised or lowered and remained on M60's even after the Searchlight was dropped from service. It was left because of training aids like the M55 laser/Telfare/Brewster were mounted where the searchlight would be. Why TTS M60A3's had them. Many Slick M60's on display still have the rear interrupter to protect the searchlight when mounted on the rear turret storage brackets. What is rarer to find is an M60A1 with the rear interrupter still installed, since when they upgraded them to RISE RISE/Passive, doctrine changed and no longer required stowing the searchlight when not in use. Stowage brackets and interrupters were removed during rebuild. The M60A1 in Jarretsville MD still has them, she is an early IR model. On A3's I guess someone decided to install an interrupter since the wind sensor was critical to the Fire Control System. Pilot models did not have them. Later on I'd like to believe some where someone said, "You know, the odds of a TC actually firing his .50 over the left rear of the turret is so little why do we even install these things" and then got dropped to save money or speed up production. Pretty sure that applied to the wind sensor stowage bracket too, since it really served no purpose with the cupola so high. ERA equipped M60A1's of the USMC also had two interrupters installed to prevent hitting the blocks left of the cupola.

vagabond

Joe_D Thanks for the education and kind words! I've been reviewing images of other early M60A3 looking for the X-Wind Sensor and Interrupter and found this one of M60A3 SN 1776A at Gowen Field in Idaho.

Is there a specific SN Range that you'd like high angles of? Maybe PM me a list of your "Most Wanted" list of M60's and I'll give them priority for tank runs and make sure we do high angles.

Joe_D

Vagabond,

I do have a short list of certain tanks I want to check out. But a lot of times I discover unusual tanks by accident. Case in point is the tank located in Monroe Louisiana.
M60A3.
This tank is listed in the TACOM registry as SN 3012A. Paper work included with the tank when American Legion Post #13 received her also indicated she was SN 3012A, to include the disposition memorandum from TACOM.
Memo
When I inspected her I noticed she had a one piece bustle rack, usually associated with very late model M60A1's and Detroit produced M60A3's.
Bustle Racks
The top image is of the detachable rack to stow the searchlight, below is of the later style when this requirement was no longer needed. Then I checked the tow lug. It was double stamped, with A12 and A3012 below.
Tow Lug
There was no registration number visible in the front slope but on the rear deck A12 was stamped and the Registration number JJ0302 stamped in the hull below it.
A12
Registration Number
Realized then this tank was one of the M60A3 Pilots. Early Detroit produced A3's had "A3" stamped before the serial number to ID them as such. The numbers also corresponded with Pilot SN 011, RN JJ0301. All I can guess is sometime this tanks SN got changed when inventoried/transferred to another unit, or during rebuild/refurbishing. Probably because A3 012 looks like A3012 and someone assumed she was 3012A. Just another example of how aggravating it can be to track these tanks by Serial Number.

I will put together my hit list of tanks and PM it too you. not a big one but some I really want to get more info on. Thanks!!

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