VICKERS MK6B's resto

[colin jones]

Thankyou for your comments and Bruce, I think you are spot on. I was trying to think why there would be a fan in that specific location.

[George Moore]

Correct, most armoured vehicles had an extractor fan to remove the fumes from the guns.
There should be some sort of opening, to vent them, so I need to look again at those drawings.

I know for sure that Humber A/C had a variety of arrangements for the different Mk's with a small opening on the side covered with an armoured "box" and the fan housed the other side again in an armoured "box" with an opening at the bottom.

Amazing work Colin, I am in absolute awe.

Through your endeavours, in my own small way I have managed this.

Thanks.
George.

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[George Moore]

Just to refresh the conversation re the fan, I have the 1937 booklet on light tanks covering MkII to VI.

Strangely there are no mentions of a fan for the MkV or VI, there is not even a circuit for one shown on the wiring diagrams !!

A closer look at the drawings does not indicate where the air would be drawn in or expelled.....there is that cowling on the front top of the turret ???????

The bulge, I have a number of walk-round views of the turret, I had thought (stupidly) there may have been a small vent on the underside of the bulge....there isn't.

What I do not have is any internal views of the turret, Colin I believe you may have contacts with the museums in your part of the world, can they help in sorting out how the fumes were vented.

Of interest, some years ago the (British) Fox armoured car with the 30mm gun was taken out of active service as the HSE determined there was inadequate ventilation for the fumes......I guess HSE did not exist in the 30's and 40's !!!!!

George.

[Chris Suslowicz]

I think the Fox comment has things backwards. A number of Foxes (Foxen?) were sold off minus the turrets because they had been removed to replace the 76mm turret on the Scorpion tank. (The Scorpion had the fume build-up problem (insufficient ventilation causing a build-up of carbon monoxide, I think).)

Chris.

[David Dunlop]

Colin.

If the turret fan is mounted in the upper front left area, odds are is would be blowing air to the right side, across the guns.

Is it possible the intent was to direct the gun fumes towards that side of the vehicle because of the presence of the large, long external shroud locate on the right side of the vehicle? Perhaps, with the vehicle in motion, airflow passing that shroud drew air out of the interior of the tank in some way, and the fan helped the process along. That shroud assembly might be multifunctional.

David

[David Herbert]

I have no detail knowledge of the light tanks but normal British practice was that the fan extracted air from the turret so was normally placed as close as possible to the gun. Fresh air that replaced that extracted would then carry any fumes towards the fan, thus concentrating and then removing them.

Regarding the replacement of Scorpion turrets, this was done to take them out of the count of British tanks when we were agreeing to a reduction in our forces under the CFE treaty. Fume build up could have been solved with fans etc.

The Foxes were taken out of service because people kept rolling them - they are great fun to drive !

David

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

I expect the fan is drawing air across the guns and out (suction). If it was going the other way (blowsion?) the fumes would just disburse into the turret despite a vent on the opposite side. The Fox has a similar fan on the left (vent) and a slot with a cover on the right (intake). At first I thought the fan was for crew comfort. Silly me.

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

Colin.

If the turret fan is mounted in the upper front left area, odds are is would be blowing air to the right side, across the guns.

Is it possible the intent was to direct the gun fumes towards that side of the vehicle because of the presence of the large, long external shroud locate on the right side of the vehicle? Perhaps, with the vehicle in motion, airflow passing that shroud drew air out of the interior of the tank in some way, and the fan helped the process along. That shroud assembly might be multifunctional.

David

[George Moore]

Sorry and apologies for getting my "facts" mixed up re the Scorpion and Fox turrets.

I am sure however the fan was a "sucker" rather than a "blower", which made me look for any form of vent or opening. However this idea is based on those fitted to armoured cars.

What does surprise me is that the fan is shown on the drawings, but there are no circuit or wiring references on any of the wiring diagrams I have seen.

George.