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The Tank Museum and YouTuber Joe Hewes recovered a derelict British Conqueror tank that had been abandoned for 58 years at a Ministry of Defence gunnery range. Because the tank had no tracks and sat in soft ground where unexploded ordnance might be present, the recovery required fitting replacement tracks before it could be moved.
Joe Hewes and staff from The Tank Museum recovered a derelict British Conqueror tank from a swampy Ministry of Defence gunnery range after first lifting it to reinstall its missing tracks. The operation was unusually difficult because the tank had been sitting in soft ground, and unexploded munitions could be present in the former live-fire area.
The Conqueror was being used as a source of a replacement turret and main gun for another tank the museum is restoring. The donor vehicle had been used for target practice and abandoned for 58 years. It was missing its engine and transmission as well as its tracks, but remained heavy enough to require specialist recovery equipment.
According to the report by The Drive, the Ministry of Defence would permit the recovery only if the tank’s tracks were put back on first. Without tracks to spread its weight over a wider area, towing the vehicle from its road wheels risked making it sink or dig into the ground. That risk was compounded by the possibility of ammunition beneath the surface.
Hewes brought in two former British Army Foden recovery trucks to lift the vehicle. The tank’s road wheels had sunk into the earth, so the trucks had to raise it clear of the ground before the replacement tracks could be fitted. An Oshkosh M1070 transport vehicle then winched the Conqueror onto its tracks and hauled it away on a trailer, the report said.
Why the Conqueror Matters to the Museum
The recovery supports the museum’s restoration work while preserving parts from a tank that helps explain a specific period in British armoured history. The Conqueror was developed after the Second World War as a heavier tank alongside the Centurion, in response to concerns about Soviet heavy tanks such as the IS-3. It preceded the Chieftain, which represented a later move toward a more versatile design.
The Conqueror was not a successful long-term design, according to the supplied report, but its place between the Centurion and Chieftain makes it useful to museum collections and military history. Recovering the turret and gun from a derelict example gives the museum components for its restoration project, while the operation also shows the practical obstacles involved in moving large, incomplete military vehicles from difficult sites.
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From Firing Range to Restoration Project
The donor Conqueror was located at a U.K. Ministry of Defence gunnery range, where it had served as a target. Its turret and main gun were needed for another Conqueror undergoing restoration at The Tank Museum. The report describes the type as weighing about 65 tons when new; the donor had no engine or transmission, but it was still a substantial load.
Tracks matter not just for movement but for spreading a tank’s weight across the ground. This vehicle was resting on its road wheels, which normally support and tension the tracks. With those tracks absent and the wheels partly buried, a straightforward tow could have pulled the hull deeper into the soft ground. The Ministry of Defence’s requirement to refit the tracks shaped the recovery plan.
“The only way the Ministry of Defence would allow the recovery to proceed was by reinstalling the tracks.”
— The Drive report
What the Recovery Report Does Not Specify
The supplied report does not identify the exact recovery date or give a detailed account of any ordnance checks or clearance measures carried out at the range. It says munitions could have been present below the surface, but does not confirm that any were found during the operation.
It also does not state the tank’s exact weight at the time of recovery, the condition of the replacement tracks, or when the museum’s restoration of the other Conqueror is expected to be completed. The roughly 65-ton figure refers to the tank when new, not a stated measurement of the stripped donor vehicle.
The Tank Museum’s Restoration Work
The immediate next step described in the report is the use of the recovered turret and main gun in the museum’s Conqueror restoration project. The source material does not provide a completion date or a schedule for displaying the restored vehicle.
The recovery was documented in a Mr Hewes YouTube video, but details beyond those reported—including further restoration milestones—remain unconfirmed in the material available here.
Key Questions
Why did the team reinstall the tank’s tracks before moving it?
The Ministry of Defence required the tracks to be reinstalled before it would allow the recovery. Tracks distribute a tank’s weight; without them, towing from the road wheels could have made the vehicle sink further into the soft ground.
What equipment was used to recover the Conqueror?
Two former British Army Foden heavy recovery trucks lifted the tank so its tracks could be fitted. An Oshkosh M1070 then winched it onto the tracks and hauled it away on a trailer.
Why was the tank being recovered?
The donor Conqueror had a turret and main gun needed for another Conqueror being restored by The Tank Museum. The donor had been used for target practice at a Ministry of Defence range.
Was unexploded ammunition found?
The report says unexploded mines or artillery shells might have been present in the ground, but it does not confirm that any munitions were found during the recovery.
Source: thedrive.com
