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I found this M60A3 today in front of the entrance to the Barstow, CA., Veterans Home. Serial number on the front tow lug and rear deck say 1807. USA number is JJ0672. The pictures are not the best I've taken and I was in a hurry, but this tank did appear to be in good shape, even better than the ones on Fort Irwin. Its also in an area that does not see many people unless they are there to visit the home, so it should not see vandalism. Do any of you armor experts see anything of note with this tank? Do the numbers all match those of an M60A3 and is it a rebuild or an original A3?

Jeff,
Good "tank spotting"...and it is in remarkable shape overall. Better than those on post at Ft. Irwin.
I'm thinking rebuild, or early A3 because of the clear view from the rangefinder ears.
Nice M85 barrel likeness...maybe a real barrel on a phony receiver.

Do 'em a favor next time and put the travel lock in down position...it looks goofy stickin' up like that.

No unit markings of any kind?

Hatches locked or welded? (always worth a look at driver's escape hatch, too).

Negative, Rimrock Rd is North by a mile or so. The vets home is located at 100 E. Veterns Parkway, off of Barstow Rd. as you head out past the BLM towards the land fill and Stoddard Valley off-road area.

Hello Jeff,
Thanks for the info! Normally i got a lot of info from a geocaching site (Tank for the memories by Pulaski and ..) but that is gone and I don't know to were....

So any info about preserved armor is very welcomed by me!

A question about the ''JJ0672'' number. I've seen this also painted on several types of tanks and now on your picture I see it stamped into the metal.

Is this number comparable with a registrationnumber as in use in the NL army?. For example a Leopard 2A4(NL) has chassisnumber 12250 stamped into the metal and registrationnumber 85-KP-36 painted on?

Regards,
Lesley

I have three M60A3's on display here on Fort Irwin, and as a comparisson, here are their serial and USA numbers;
1. Ser# 1778A / USA# 09A22370 (original A1)
2. Ser# 1780A / USA# JJ03YM (original A1, USA# is stamped in rear deck)
3. Ser# 1364 / USA# JJ05UF (an actual A3, USA# is stamped in rear deck)

My guess is that "JJ0672" is the USA#, on the Vets Home M60. I dont know if its an original A3 or a rebuild. On a previous post, I was informed that the "A" at the end of the Ser# may stand for a rebuilt A1 from Anniston Depot.
I have a two page listing of various armor here at Irwin with all their Ser# and USA# if I know them. If you are interested, I can e-mail them to you, or anyone else interested. I have 29 vehicles listed and 7 display helicopters as well.

I didn't notice if the hatches were locked or welded. Seems that everytime I llok at an armor vehicle and think I have been thorough, someone points out something that I've missed, but I try to learn from it and look better the next time.
There were no unit markings. My guess is that since its a Vets Home, they try to keep it generic as to not show favoritism, after all, I dont see any helicopters, planes, or ships present, and I'm sure they might feel left out as it is.
As far as tank spotting, I'm always on the lookout. I almost don't go anywhere without my digital camera. I have to keep you all entertained some how huh?

- SFC_Jeff_Button

I I have a two page listing of various armor here at Irwin with all their Ser# and USA# if I know them. If you are interested, I can e-mail them to you, or anyone else interested. I have 29 vehicles listed and 7 display helicopters as well.

Hell Jeff, Thanks for the numbers! I'am very interested in those numbers. There should be a (former Syrian army??) T-62 at Fort Irwin. Is this correct and if so, do you have a constructionnumber from this tank??

My e-mail at yahoo is panzerdels@ and then the yahoo things....
Regards,
Lesley

It's hard to figure out what's what with the later alphanumeric codes. For example, here's my list of JJ--- M60 series registrations:

JJ001Y M60A1 105MM TANK
JJ00W3 33*2A M60A3 105MM TANK
JJ015W **74A M60A3 105MM TANK
JJ019P M60A3 105MM TANK
JJ03YM 1780A M60A3 105MM TANK
JJ04WW 2877A M60A3 105MM TANK
JJ05UF 1364A M60A3 105MM TANK
JJ0672 1807 M60A3 105MM TANK

This ordering is based on the _assumption_ that the last four characters go 0..9 then A..Z in turn. A deduction from the data is that there is no correlation between the M60/M60A1 serial on the lug and the registration applied after conversion to M60A3.

KL

Good to hear from you again Kurt! Its been a while. I posted my "JJ" numbers on here as well. I dont understand how USA numbers work entirely.
Mr Delsing, I believe I know what tank you are speaking of. It sits about 25 feet from the 1/11th ACR Squadron HQ's. I believe it may even be unsecure, but I'm not 100% sure. I only concentrated on the American armor in my research. I will however go and photograph this vehicle and post it on this DG tomorrow with its numbers if I get the chance. Always glad to oblige a request when possible.

Jeff,
Looks like you located another original M60A3. Looking at the pictures it sure seems that way. No "A" on the serial number, 2 heavy hull lifting eyes, one piece bustle rack, chin armor, and from what I can see the drivers hatch is a VVS-2 passive original and not modified from an IR hatch. It should have the large oval escape hatch too. If you can get pictures of the drivers hatch and right rear bustle rack.

Joe D

Hello Kurt,
"Serial numbers and USA/Registration numbers, what a mess, "

I ignore Registration/USA numbers because we never used them on the 2404’s or later 5988E’s. They also don’t seem to make any sense with them being applied based on where the tank was rebuilt. They also don't help much with Marine Tanks. I like serial numbers. They are fairly easy when it comes to the M60 and M60A1. Here's what I have figured out so far and if someone can help add to this please chime in. Early M60’s had 3 digit numbers stamped into the left front tow lug left to right, later 4 digit numbers went from hull to tip along with the A1’s. I have yet been able to find a number stamped in the left rear hull of the early M60’s, only the 4 digit models I’ve seen had them there. I never use the rear deck because they can be switched. I’ve seen an A1 with an A3 Anniston numbered deck. The fun starts with the A3’s. Some were built new (About 1700), most were rebuilt at Anniston or Mainz (about 3600) and a few (Over 100) were upgraded locally, for a total of 5400. Somewhere around serial number 1500 rebuilds were started at Anniston Army depot. They ended with an “A�. These numbers seem to run in sequence with new A3’s. You can usually see the old number crossed out on the rear hull and the new number next to it. That’s how you get an original with a number above 1700. Most Anniston rebuilds were from early A1’s. The Mainz rebuilds used tanks from Europe so they were newer A1 Rise Passives, needing a lot less work to be done during the upgrade to A3. The ones I’ve seen retained their original A1 serial number. That is how you get numbers above 5400. I have yet to figure out where the local rebuilds were done, but based on the total amount it sounds like 2 Battalions worth with ORF’s (Organizational Reserve Fleet) I would guess Korea. Hopefully this helps shed just a little more light on the subject.

Joe D

Joe,
I'm taking the info you just posted and putting it into my research file for future use. Great info, Thanks,