_GOTOBOTTOM
Armor/AFV: Modern Armor
Modern armor in general.
Hosted by Darren Baker
AFV Boneyards ?
pottz88
Visit this Community
New South Wales, Australia
Joined: July 24, 2005
KitMaker: 233 posts
Armorama: 209 posts
Posted: Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 12:18 PM UTC
Does the US have armoured vehicle boneyards like the one for aircraft at Davis Montham Airbase. If so does anyone have any good quality images.

Cheers lads.
HeavyArty
Visit this Community
Florida, United States
Joined: May 16, 2002
KitMaker: 17,694 posts
Armorama: 13,742 posts
Posted: Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 07:05 PM UTC
Yes, one is out here in CA at the USMC Logistics base at Yermo. It has huge yards full of Marine equipment; LAVs, AAVPs, M151 jeeps, etc. Army has similar sites at places like Redstone [auto-censored]nel and other palces around the country.
Sabot
Joined: December 18, 2001
KitMaker: 12,596 posts
Armorama: 9,071 posts
Posted: Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 07:17 PM UTC
I don't recall an area in Redstone where they stored equipment. Perhaps you mean Anniston Army Depot.
18Bravo
Visit this Community
Colorado, United States
Joined: January 20, 2005
KitMaker: 7,219 posts
Armorama: 6,097 posts
Posted: Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 07:28 PM UTC
Ft Hood had one a few years ago. M60 series tanks and other vehicles would await their fate on the range. Recently I did a little exploring around Ft. Polk and found a slew of Sheridans among other hulks.





Davester444
Visit this Community
England - West Midlands, United Kingdom
Joined: March 09, 2005
KitMaker: 850 posts
Armorama: 548 posts
Posted: Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 07:42 PM UTC
Photos above now - no point in having them twice.

Dave
HeavyArty
Visit this Community
Florida, United States
Joined: May 16, 2002
KitMaker: 17,694 posts
Armorama: 13,742 posts
Posted: Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 07:47 PM UTC

Quoted Text

I don't recall an area in Redstone where they stored equipment. Perhaps you mean Anniston Army Depot.


It may have been Anniston Army Depot. It was at one of the large depots.

Gotta love the auto-censor feature. What's up with [auto-censored]nel I guess its a Brit thing, a-r-s-e. :-) :-)
Sabot
Joined: December 18, 2001
KitMaker: 12,596 posts
Armorama: 9,071 posts
Posted: Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 08:04 PM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text

I don't recall an area in Redstone where they stored equipment. Perhaps you mean Anniston Army Depot.


It may have been Anniston Army Depot. It was at one of the large depots.

Gotta love the auto-censor feature. What's up with [auto-censored]nel I guess its a Brit thing, a-r-s-e. :-) :-)
I brought it up to Jim yesterday. Redstone's not really that big and the amount of BDUs you see on post is miniscule (ammo AIT and missile repairmen AIT). It mainly houses the Aviation and Missile Command and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center.
HeavyArty
Visit this Community
Florida, United States
Joined: May 16, 2002
KitMaker: 17,694 posts
Armorama: 13,742 posts
Posted: Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 08:12 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Redstone's not really that big and the amount of BDUs you see on post is miniscule (ammo AIT and missile repairmen AIT). It mainly houses the Aviation and Missile Command and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center.


It may have been Red River Army Depot I was thinking of instead. That place is pretty big.
pottz88
Visit this Community
New South Wales, Australia
Joined: July 24, 2005
KitMaker: 233 posts
Armorama: 209 posts
Posted: Thursday, April 06, 2006 - 05:40 AM UTC
Do any of theses places have websites with pics etc
2CAVTrooper
Visit this Community
Alabama, United States
Joined: October 21, 2005
KitMaker: 310 posts
Armorama: 302 posts
Posted: Thursday, April 06, 2006 - 07:02 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Do any of theses places have websites with pics etc


The have websites, but they wouldn't have any pics of what's stored there.

As far as those M551's at Polk, they are used for spare parts to keep the heaps that the 509th uses running. Once they're picked of all useable parts, they're shipped off to be recycled since the aluminum armor will not hold up that well as a target hulk.

At the ranges, they have M60's out there for everyone to shoot at
blaster76
Visit this Community
Texas, United States
Joined: September 15, 2002
KitMaker: 8,985 posts
Armorama: 3,034 posts
Posted: Thursday, April 06, 2006 - 03:08 PM UTC
Redstone was / is a small base near Huntsville. Rockets / missles there. I know they trained the Germans on Hawk misles there as i had a numbr of buddies I hung with (ah the beauty of speaking German they used to fly in kegs of real German beer for their club). Anniston Army Depot doesn't have a boneyard per se, they do a lot of repair and conversion out there. MOst old tanks end up downrange as hard targets or stuck on slabs of concrete as war memorials...just go to FT Knox they are all over the place. I think Red RIver Depot has more to do with ammunition then anything else, but I've never been there.
Sabot
Joined: December 18, 2001
KitMaker: 12,596 posts
Armorama: 9,071 posts
Posted: Thursday, April 06, 2006 - 05:27 PM UTC
Redstone is still there. I was stationed there from 1996-1999. Very nice little base and the city of Huntsville actually named its civic center after a former Nazi rocket scientist, Van Braun.

The last Hawk class happened when I was stationed there. I remember reading about it in the post paper. I also remember going to their maintenance center where the Linebacker was being developed. They had some onsie-twosie neat stuff, but not a lot of military vehicles or personnel.
m75
Visit this Community
California, United States
Joined: July 20, 2002
KitMaker: 666 posts
Armorama: 661 posts
Posted: Friday, April 07, 2006 - 09:01 PM UTC
At Hohenfels FRG in 1976 I found a decent-sized pool of armor awaiting it's fate as down-range sabot recepticles. M-47 Pattons, M24 Chaffees, a few M3 Scout cars, you know, things collectors can only laugh about now! :-) In our maintenance section we always toyed with the idea of mixing beer, batteries and gasoline to see if any could be revivied before their pending date with disaster, but the preponderance of beer probably kept that from happening. A great "what if" time,,,,
Austin0311
Visit this Community
Indiana, United States
Joined: July 19, 2005
KitMaker: 169 posts
Armorama: 98 posts
Posted: Saturday, April 08, 2006 - 08:06 AM UTC
It's actually a shame we don't keep more of these around, huh? If they want to get rid of all this old, obsolete equipment, I have a big backyard!!
Sabot
Joined: December 18, 2001
KitMaker: 12,596 posts
Armorama: 9,071 posts
Posted: Saturday, April 08, 2006 - 09:21 AM UTC

Quoted Text

It's actually a shame we don't keep more of these around, huh? If they want to get rid of all this old, obsolete equipment, I have a big backyard!!
We had to get rid of a lot of it due to old arms reduction treaties. Even gate guards and museum monuments were counted against total tank inventory because we had once used display tanks to form a tank battalion to send into battle into Korea.
Austin0311
Visit this Community
Indiana, United States
Joined: July 19, 2005
KitMaker: 169 posts
Armorama: 98 posts
Posted: Sunday, April 09, 2006 - 01:46 AM UTC
That's an interesting fact that I never knew (monuments being used to form an unit). But I wonder how much a old tank (any kind) would cost to buy off someone and how much it would cost to restore it.
m75
Visit this Community
California, United States
Joined: July 20, 2002
KitMaker: 666 posts
Armorama: 661 posts
Posted: Monday, April 10, 2006 - 10:16 PM UTC
18Bravo, do you have additional photos of the Sheridans lined up awaiting their fate? I would like to base a model on a similar track, and the weathering possibilities of the two photos were really inspiring!
18Bravo
Visit this Community
Colorado, United States
Joined: January 20, 2005
KitMaker: 7,219 posts
Armorama: 6,097 posts
Posted: Tuesday, April 11, 2006 - 03:41 AM UTC
PM me your email address. I tried uploading them (8 more) but some of the files are too large.
toadman1
Vendor
TOADMAN'S TANK PICTURES
Visit this Community
California, United States
Joined: July 20, 2004
KitMaker: 1,141 posts
Armorama: 950 posts
Posted: Wednesday, April 12, 2006 - 09:21 PM UTC

Quoted Text

That's an interesting fact that I never knew (monuments being used to form an unit). But I wonder how much a old tank (any kind) would cost to buy off someone and how much it would cost to restore it.


It depends on what you're in the market for. Magazines like Military Machines International and Supply Line(from the Military Vehicle Preservation Assoc.) run classifieds for military vehicles, including tanks. Shermans can go for up to $100K depending on the variant and condition. Other, more common tanks, like T-34-85's and T-55's can be had for less than $25K.

The cost of restoration all depends upon the condition of the vehicle and how much you want to spend. Vehicles like this
SdKfz 222 cost $400k to restore. The StuG III Ausf. G had $500k put into it. However, these are extremes when it comes to restoration costs as the owner, Jacques Littlefield is a stickler for detail and has the resources to do it.

Chris "toadman" Hughes
Toadman's Tank Pictures
Sabot
Joined: December 18, 2001
KitMaker: 12,596 posts
Armorama: 9,071 posts
Posted: Wednesday, April 12, 2006 - 10:21 PM UTC

Quoted Text

That's an interesting fact that I never knew (monuments being used to form an unit). But I wonder how much a old tank (any kind) would cost to buy off someone and how much it would cost to restore it.
Here is a brief history of the 70th Tank Battalion and how it was formed from some monument tanks: 70th Tank Battalion
blaster76
Visit this Community
Texas, United States
Joined: September 15, 2002
KitMaker: 8,985 posts
Armorama: 3,034 posts
Posted: Thursday, April 13, 2006 - 01:53 AM UTC
My battalion in Germany rescued a Chaffee from Graf. We had that puppy working and almost restored. I know we had a pipe for a gun tube but the engines had been restored and upgraded and it was drivable. Our BN XO was a master mechanic and he and the BMO did an incredible amount of work.
PLMP110
Visit this Community
Alabama, United States
Joined: September 26, 2002
KitMaker: 1,318 posts
Armorama: 837 posts
Posted: Thursday, April 13, 2006 - 03:23 AM UTC
The Alabama Gulf Coast has an unusual bone yard. You can only visit it if you SCUBA dive. Check out the interesting idea here.

Patrick
m75
Visit this Community
California, United States
Joined: July 20, 2002
KitMaker: 666 posts
Armorama: 661 posts
Posted: Monday, April 17, 2006 - 06:33 AM UTC
OHHH yeah, REEF-EX! I remember the whole unit I was in crying, with our equipment dead-lined for parts when entire tracked units are deep-sixed for artificial reefs. Sometimes I just gotta pinch myself as to the unworldly happenings in this country!!!!
 _GOTOTOP