Converting Naval Weapons for use on land?

[Matt W]

Having lived in Plymouth, I recommend the Crownhill Fort http://www.palmerstonforts.org.uk/pav1/plym.htm
it has working cannon. ahh.. nostalgia. At one time I had a dozen copies of the free tourist guide to this place. It was an outpost of the Royal Marines in my Morrow Project (or rather Atlantis Project) game

If you have forces in Plymouth (South Devon) they should really make a quick trip to Umberleigh (North Devon) and have a word with the owner of the Cobbaton Combat collection. Alternatively, RAF Chivenor might make a visit

http://cobbatoncombat.co.uk/

The website's pretty lousy - but it does show some of the vehicles. A Sherman and - I think - a T34.

I don't know how desperate the Royal Navy might be, but there is another Sherman just up the coast at Slapton Sands in Somerset. It IS a memorial , but that might not stop them

http://www.shermantank.co.uk/recovery3.ikml

[Ramjam]

Don't quote me on this, but I sure I remember one of my army cadet instructors telling me years ago that someone down in Cornwall have a very private collection of military hardware on his estate.

I can't remember the details and I have tried Google'in it but no luck.

No sure what he/she had but it was more than a small arms collection.

[kato13]

Originally Posted by Ramjam

Don't quote me on this, but I sure I remember one of my army cadet instructors telling me years ago that someone down in Cornwall have a very private collection of military hardware on his estate.

I can't remember the details and I have tried Google'in it but no luck.

No sure what he/she had but it was more than a small arms collection.

The "Dinscott Military Collection"? . Have not found any real details though.

[Ramjam]

That might be it Kato. I'll keep digging.

And funny you should mention Crownhill Fort. My plan was to use either Tregantle Fort (which is still used by the MOD and in superb order) or Scraesdon Fort (which would need alot of work done to it) or either both as a kind of FOB into Cornwall. They could be used for guarding the sea and land on the Cornwall side of the Tamar against the Dukey forces and as FOBs for raids into Cornwall.
As air-power is not a huge problem in TW2000 the solid granite walls would make a nice bit of cover.

Here's a picture of what I mean.

http://www.cyber-heritage.co.uk/tregantle.jpg

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by Ramjam

Don't quote me on this, but I sure I remember one of my army cadet instructors telling me years ago that someone down in Cornwall have a very private collection of military hardware on his estate.

I can't remember the details and I have tried Google'in it but no luck.

No sure what he/she had but it was more than a small arms collection.

There's more than a few ranchers here in Texas who have that kind of collection...

[jturfitt]

Several in Mississippi also, a friend has 4 armored vehicles, 2 2 1/2 trucks, a Gamma Goat, and several A2 Jeeps.

[pmulcahy11b]

This is a tangential thought, but a lot of ex-Special Forces troops retire in the area of El Paso, since there is (or as least was) a National Guard SF unit there, and the base (Ft Sill) is decent-sized. They probably have access to some interesting stuff and connections.

[Rainbow Six]

Originally Posted by Matt W

Having lived in Plymouth, I recommend the Crownhill Fort http://www.palmerstonforts.org.uk/pav1/plym.htm
it has working cannon. ahh.. nostalgia. At one time I had a dozen copies of the free tourist guide to this place. It was an outpost of the Royal Marines in my Morrow Project (or rather Atlantis Project) game

If you have forces in Plymouth (South Devon) they should really make a quick trip to Umberleigh (North Devon) and have a word with the owner of the Cobbaton Combat collection. Alternatively, RAF Chivenor might make a visit

http://cobbatoncombat.co.uk/

The website's pretty lousy - but it does show some of the vehicles. A Sherman and - I think - a T34.

I don't know how desperate the Royal Navy might be, but there is another Sherman just up the coast at Slapton Sands in Somerset. It IS a memorial , but that might not stop them

http://www.shermantank.co.uk/recovery3.ikml

Thanks Matt. I have Crownhill occupied by B Company of the 1st Battalion, Green Howards.

(In my T2K World the Green Howards were part of 24th Airmobile Brigade and were pulled back to the UK in late 98 to help the authorities maintain order' B Company were detached from the rest of the Battalion in 1999, reinforced with an ad hoc collection of TA, HSF, and non combat arms personnel and sent to Plymouth to reinforce the Navy. The rest of the Battalion is at Bovington with elements of 2 RTR, where amongst other things they are providing security for the Wytch Farm onshore oil field).

The Cobbaton collection is interesting. Whilst I have the RAF pulling out of Chivenor sometime in late 1998 / early 1999, Cobbaton looks like it would be a treasure trove for local militia units, particularly the 200 plus deactivated firearms. It might not be possible to reactivate these, but a milita force armed with guns that don't work is better than one with no guns at all...after all if marauders see a village defended by a group armed with Lee Enfields, Stens, etc, would they want to hang around to see whether they worked or not? Personally, I doubt it.

Another option is to have Cobbaton plundered by marauders. I've been trying to do something involving escaped prisoners from HM Prison in Dartmoor, so that might be an option for them.

Thanks again.

[pmulcahy11b]

One thing I just thought of is that the North Koreans have put some naval guns on tank chassis for use as land artillery. IIRC, they are 175mm guns.

[waiting4something]

Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b

One thing I just thought of is that the North Koreans have put some naval guns on tank chassis for use as land artillery. IIRC, they are 175mm guns.

Jesus! How big is the tank? I would hate to be the loader for sure.

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by waiting4something

Jesus! How big is the tank? I would hate to be the loader for sure.

They actually look very similar to the 203mm self-propelled howitzers the US used until about 10 years ago. The North Koreans did bob the gun barrels quite a bit -- IIRC (digging back into the non-classified recesses of my memory), the parent chassis is a T-55.

[Dog 6]

http://www.globalsecurity.org/milita...m-1978-170.htm


It's a 170mm gun on a T-54

"The M-1978 (KOKSAN) 170mm self propelled (SP) gun, of North Korean design and manufacture, is probably mounted on a T-54 chasis, a Chinese Type 59 hull or a T62 Chassis. The 170mm gun has no superstructure, and it has 2 large spades at the rear. The 170mm (~6.69") gun itself is a previously unknown type, possibly Russian coastal-defence or ex-naval weapon. The M-1978 Koksan gun was first noted publicly in a parade in 1985. The Koksan is named after the city in North Korea where it was first seen by the West in 1978. The M-1978 version carried no on-board ammunition supply.

The M1989 KOKSAN is a later version or modified M1978 which carries 12 rounds on-board ammunition supply. North Korea used them in batteries of 36 vehicles & supplied them to Iran when missiles became available as replacements. "

[StainlessSteelCynic]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koksan
Includes a decent quality picture of a damaged gun in Iraq

[pmulcahy11b]

Shows the general lack of quality of my memory...