modern day landships modern day tank ship

The steering tail device worked on a principle similar to that of a boat's rudder and gave the tank a laborious 18 metre (diameter) turning circle. The tank then had to stop again while the gears were reset. The driver then put the primary box in gear and the driven track 'swung' the tank around. Depending on the direction of turn, the gearsmen selected a gear on one side and neutral on the other, while the commander held the brake. At the back of the tank, two 'gearsmen' worked secondary, two-speed gearboxes located within the track frames.įor any major change in direction (known to tank men as 'swinging'), the driver stopped the tank and put the primary box in neutral. The commander, sitting to the driver's left, operated the brakes. The driver had control of a clutch, footbrake, hand throttle and primary gearbox, which gave two speeds forward and one in reverse. The Mark I had a crew of eight men, four of whom were required just to drive it.

These guns tended to be temperamental due to the heat and vibration inside the tank. One was located in each sponson, with a third at the front, firing through a loophole between the driver's and commander's visors. The machine guns, also Hotchkiss, were for close defence if the tank was attacked by enemy infantry. Each male tank carried 334 shells, stowed in special tubes arranged around the interior of the tank. The gunner aimed using a simple telescopic sight, but the vibration of the tank was so severe that careful aiming was impossible unless the tank was completely stationary. It was served by a gunner and loader, neither of whom could stand or sit comfortably in the cramped interior. The Hotchkiss six-pounder was an adapted naval gun with a range of 6,860 metres.

Female tanks had two heavy Vickers machine guns in place of the six-pounders. Male tanks mounted a six-pounder gun in each sponson, plus three light machine guns. There were two types of Mark I tank: 'male' and 'female'.

Modern day landships modern day tank ship