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Neil_Baumgardner

Tom Dinackus sent me the following pics:

T-64B at the National Ground Intelligence Center

M59 (or is it an M84) at a national guard armor in Charlottesville

Neil

Maple_Leaf_Eh · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Jan 24, 2006 Posts: 517

I have seen some remote sensed imagery of the grounds at Fort Belvoir, and there were a number of vehicles there. Some under cam nets, others on really easy to spot outlined pads. I wonder if NGIC was ever based in Belvoir with the geospatial and topo guys?

SFC_Jeff_Button

I believe that is an M84, 4.2 inch Mortar track. From the rear view you can see the escape hatch on the right side of the rasmp. Normally the door was on the left side for the M59's. The bracketry on the left side of the ramp is where the ground mount parts of the Mortar system were stowed. This M84 has the M13 commanders coupla with 50 cal MG, which was a later modification. Here's a little information on the M59 / M84 family;
- Manufactured between 1954 - 1960 by The Ordnance Division of the Food Machinery and Chemical Corporation, (FMC) in San Jose, CA.
- Over 6,300 built.
- Carried 88 rds of 4.2 in Moratr ammo.
- Weighed 47,100lbs / 23.55 tons
- Powered by twin GMC model 302, 6 cylinder, 4 cycle, inline engines prodicing 292 HP total at 3,600 rpm.
- 135 gal fuel capacity (100 mi range)
- 27mph on level raods
- With the passenger seats folded up and the rear ramp lowered, a jeep could be driven into the rear compartment.
- Eventually replaced by the M113 family in the early 1960's.

I found most of this information while researching an M84 that is located at Ft Irwin back in 2005. This one is also missing it's wood trim vane for water crossings/swimming.

Neil_Baumgardner

Maple Leaf,
I think we've discussed Fort Belvoir before. The Engineer Proving Grounds (for the Engineer Center & School) used to be located there. I've been assured several times that there are no more armored vehicles of any sort left at Belvoir, after the Engineers moved to Fort Leanord Wood MO. I have a bit of skepticism on that, considering the T28 was lost there for almost 30 years, but there's enough construction & environmental surveys going on recently that one would think something left behind on the ranges would have been discovered.... But who knows... The Google satellite views I have scoured havent shown up anything conclusive... I suspect the photos you looked at were old???

Neil

Kurt_Laughlin · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Jan 24, 2006 Posts: 577

I was looking at Virtual Earth images of Belvoir with a relative who is retired Army/DIA. He pointed out an M114 on a pad behind a former night vision lab, just where it was back in the 1970's. The picture group was new as it also included a facility under contruction that was - at the time - still under construction.

He also recalled walking out of a building back then during a break in a training class and seeing "the biggest f-ing tank I ever saw". It had a long gun and double tracks, and had a tree growing out of the hull. . . I don't think the T28 was actually "lost", rather nobody knew what it was or cared it was there.

KL

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