How are Military Tank Turrets Mounted?

[Henro]

Just a simple question.

I see some destroyed tanks sitting on the ground with their turrets on the ground beside them.

Is this a sign that turrets are basically just sitting there on bearings, expecting that nothing would cause them to be displaced and knocked off the tank base?

Just curious, having no knowledge...

 

[DustyRusty]

They remove them to get out.

 

[Henro]

They remove them to get out.

LOL...get real...LOL...take a look at the pictures...maybe superman could do that, but no real human beings....I was not talking about opening a hatch to get out. I was referring to the whole complete top of the tank being off to the side....

 

[Henro]

Like this:

 

[Lil Foot]

I know of no turrets since WW2 that are attached in any way. Shear weight holds them in place.
tank turrets blown off

 

[Henro]

I know of no turrets since WW2 that are attached in any way. Shear weight holds them in place.
tank turrets blown off

That is what I was wondering, but no way to know without asking...

 

[FTG-05]

Pretty much the same battleship turrets were installed. A bunch of turrets have fallen out of their mountings after being sunk, then turtling on their way down.

 

[fried1765]

Just a simple question.

I see some destroyed tanks sitting on the ground with their turrets on the ground beside them.

Is this a sign that turrets are basically just sitting there on bearings, expecting that nothing would cause them to be displaced and knocked off the tank base?

Just curious, having no knowledge...

Those turrets were removed with a special turret removal device commonly known as a "Javelin"
I am told that it is very effective!

 

[lynnmor]

As for the bearings, yes they do have a very large diameter bearing so the gun can easily swivel. I worked at BMY nearly half a century ago and made some of those bearing races.

 

[Lil Foot]

Decades ago, my dune group found a turret ring gear from what was probably an M3 Lee tank in Patton Valley in the Imperial Sand Dunes, after a huge windstorm. Went back the next day with enough people & gear to recover it, but someone had beaten us to it.

 

[Biker1mike]

Russian tanks use an auto-loader which has the ammo in a ring just under and around the turret. When hit in the right place all of this ammo goes off at once and turns the 12 ton turret into a champagne cork. No one survives this.
US M1 uses a 19 kid with big biceps as the loader. Safer, but requires a much larger tank.

 

[Lil Foot]

Pretty much the same battleship turrets were installed. A bunch of turrets have fallen out of their mountings after being sunk, then turtling on their way down.

Like the Bismarck:

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Tanks have to have the turrets bolted to the hull.

The turret itself is bolted to the upper ring. The upper and lower rings are kept together via a set of retainer screws.

 

[Bmyers]

You may find this video interesting, I know it is an American tank, but will give you some idea

 

[woodsy]

Spent some time in this Sheridan tank.. I'll take a tree to hide behind any day.
The main 152mm gun rounds were stored in the crew compartment also, ouch.
This thing would shake all over and front end would come up a foot when the main gun went off. Very big gun but not much range to it, 2000'.

 

[lynnmor]

My Dad took a nice stroll across Germany about 78 years ago, he said that the guys were instructed to walk behind the tanks for protection. It seemed to him that all the tanks were good for was to attract attention and enemy fire and a tree would be better.

 

[hagrid]

Slewing ring.

 

[lugbolt]

Battleships are often mounted in the same fashion.

They have rollers, gearing, and such to help them turn, but there is nothing physically keeping them from falling out, just gravity and mass for the most part.

 

[DustyRusty]

 

[Bmyers]

Very interesting video. I'm sure military experts/planners on all sides are going back to the drawing board and evaluating what was considered best practice.

Although the West seems to have placed more value on their soldiers than the East has traditionally done.