Weight: 72.7-tons (66,000-kg)

Length: 38’ (12-m)

Width: 13' 1” (4.99-m)

Height: 10' 5” (3.18-m)

Crew: 4

Armor:

Turret Front: 7” (178-mm)

Turret Side: 3.3” (110-mm)

Weapons:

-Primary

120-mm L1 Riffled Cannon

-Secondary

2x .30” MG

-Ammunition

35 x 120-mm

7,500 x .30”

Engine: 27-liter V-12 petrol, 860-hp

Power/weight: 11.8-hp/ton

Fuel Capacity: 266-USG (1,003-l)

Range: 95-miles (153-km)

Speed: 21-mph (34-km/h)

The Conqueror offered here, VRN 07 BA 075, was built in 1952 as a FV221 Caernarvon. At the time it was built, it mounted the turret of a Centurion MkIII. It was used as a trials vehicle by the 14/20th Hussars in Tripoli, Libya. It was rebuilt to Conqueror Mk II standards in 1958/59. The exterior and interior paint is in very good to excellent condition. All exterior lights are present. The wheels and tracks are in very good condition. The engine does not currently run due to a fuel pump issue and has a water leak. The gunner's controls appear to be complete. A radio is mounted in the turret, but it is not known if it operational. The driver's controls and instruments appear to be complete. All of the driver's periscopes are present with good glass.

The Conqueror entered service in 1955. It was feared that the otherwise excellent Centurion tank with its 20-pr (83.4-mm) gun would be unable to reliably engage the SovietIS-3 Stalin heavy tank and its derivatives such as T-10. As such Conqueror was developed to deal specifically with the Soviet heavies while letting the Centurions do the bulk of the fighting. The main gun is an American design, the M58 as found in the American M103 tank. It was accurate and powerful, though the large, heavy, two-piece ammunition was unwieldy. Unlike the U.S. tank, however, the British made do with just one loader.

Something of a technological tour-de-force, Conquer was equipped with what we would today know as a ‘hunter-killer’ system. The commander, in his cupola at the rear of the huge turret could acquire and range a target independently to the gunner. Once the gunner finished servicing the target he was currently engaging, the gun would then be slewed to wherever the commander’s target was. With the new target now in the gunner’s sight and already ranged, the commander was free to repeat the process for the next target.

The tank was not, of course, without its flaws. Though the gun and armor were superb, the Meteor engine, developed from the Merlin from the WWII fighter planes, was overstretched and the generally Centurion-based transmission components simply couldn’t cope. The massive fuel consumption figures also limited operational mobility, though for its weight the tank was surprisingly nimble. Complexity and cost also added to the tank’s woes, and only 185 were built before production stopped in 1958.

The fitting of the excellent L7 105-mm gun to Centurion began to give it capability almost approaching Conqueror, and the arrival of the Chieftain with its 120-mm L11 sealed the heavy tanks fate. Conqueror was withdrawn in 1966.

Please note, this lot is a registered Destructive Device. Bidders for this lot must meet certain qualifications; please review the BATFE guidelines posted at Aucitonsamerica.com/littlefieldDD.

Transport Cost to Storage: $7,920