World Affairs Board - View Single Post - To current and recent tankers.

RustyBattleship · 01-17-2008, 17:38 PM

Well now, I hardly qualify as a current or recent tanker. But I still want you to know what it's like inside an M-41 Bulldog.

Or outside.

Or, "Hey? Whatcha say?"

That opposable 6 cylinder Cadillac Continental engine would put a jet engine to shame. It was turbo charged and you could tell it was. It had two mufflers on back but there might as well not be any at all. I have been up a valley with a maintenance crew for refueling and could hear them a mile away (still had time to finish my letter home). It sounds like air in the amount of the Holland Tunnel going through.

Inside, the turret crew could hear each other, sort of. The only way the driver down below could hear us was with a headphone set, and then just barely.

The Army had done away with the football helmets so we just turned our Ridgeway caps backwards and crushed our headset bands over them (that's how you could always know who a tanker was by the side crushing of his Ridgeway). We bought a bunch of Jet Pilot helmets but the ear phone connections were not compatible with our chest sets (that could switch from on to off to intercom or to radio). And the unit didn't like the idea of us chopping up existing headsets to make them fit.

So when ever possible we drove in "Administrative" position of the turret reversed and the tube (gun barrel) clamped down. That put the TC directly over the driver then and we could signal him the old fashioned way by whacking him on the right or left shouder for a turn or right on top of the head for a panic stop.

Oh. We did have air conditioning. At the top of the turret roof in the rear bustle was a mushroom-shaped armored cover that housed a fan. A medium sized fan set on EXHAUST only to evacuate smoke and fumes that were not drawn out by the bore evacuator when firing the main gun.

And then that "artistic" extra bustle on the back was a sheet metal storage box (why they never remove it for movies baffles me. It's only held on by four 3/8" bolts). The top was a hinged lid and inside that box with the sloped sizes was another square box with no lid. Nobody ever knew what it stored until one day as we were changing the oil in our THREE oil bath based air cleaners. A 5 gallon can fits well in that box - on its side. Which means if the cap isn't on tight, well, you can figure the rest out.

Ah. The good old days.

01-17-2008, 17:38 PM	#12 (permalink)
RustyBattleship *Defense Professional* Join Date: 01-12-06 Location: Long Beach, CA Posts: 2,961	Well now, I hardly qualify as a current or recent tanker. But I still want you to know what it's like inside an M-41 Bulldog. Or outside. Or, "Hey? Whatcha say?" That opposable 6 cylinder Cadillac Continental engine would put a jet engine to shame. It was turbo charged and you could tell it was. It had two mufflers on back but there might as well not be any at all. I have been up a valley with a maintenance crew for refueling and could hear them a mile away (still had time to finish my letter home). It sounds like air in the amount of the Holland Tunnel going through. Inside, the turret crew could hear each other, sort of. The only way the driver down below could hear us was with a headphone set, and then just barely. The Army had done away with the football helmets so we just turned our Ridgeway caps backwards and crushed our headset bands over them (that's how you could always know who a tanker was by the side crushing of his Ridgeway). We bought a bunch of Jet Pilot helmets but the ear phone connections were not compatible with our chest sets (that could switch from on to off to intercom or to radio). And the unit didn't like the idea of us chopping up existing headsets to make them fit. So when ever possible we drove in "Administrative" position of the turret reversed and the tube (gun barrel) clamped down. That put the TC directly over the driver then and we could signal him the old fashioned way by whacking him on the right or left shouder for a turn or right on top of the head for a panic stop. Oh. We did have air conditioning. At the top of the turret roof in the rear bustle was a mushroom-shaped armored cover that housed a fan. A medium sized fan set on EXHAUST only to evacuate smoke and fumes that were not drawn out by the bore evacuator when firing the main gun. And then that "artistic" extra bustle on the back was a sheet metal storage box (why they never remove it for movies baffles me. It's only held on by four 3/8" bolts). The top was a hinged lid and inside that box with the sloped sizes was another square box with no lid. Nobody ever knew what it stored until one day as we were changing the oil in our THREE oil bath based air cleaners. A 5 gallon can fits well in that box - on its side. Which means if the cap isn't on tight, well, you can figure the rest out. Ah. The good old days. __________________ Able to leap tall tales in a single groan.