Crusader wrecks in Maryland?

[David Dunlop]

Have you ever worked with the freeware computer program ‘Google Earth’? It came out in 2001 and is still available, but not very popular anymore as people use ‘Google Maps’ because it is much simpler.

Google Earth is based on satellite imagery and you can search freehand for a location, or type in several civil or military grid coordinates and the program with take you directly overhead of that spot on the planet and you can zoom down to take a closer look. As you navigate, the grid coordinates are displayed in real time and the date of the current imagery in use is also available. So, if you are looking down over the exact spot you have coordinates for and see nothing, check the image dates. If the image is newer than the date of the last known photos you have, the tanks are gone.

It will save you a lot of time and money worrying about them.


David

[David Herbert]

Re Google Earth, you can also see older satellite and also even older aerial photographs of many locations, often going back to WW2 if the location was of interest in the past.

David

[maple_leaf_eh]

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

Have you ever worked with the freeware computer program ‘Google Earth’? It came out in 2001 and is still available, but not very popular anymore as people use ‘Google Maps’ because it is much simpler.

I use Google Earth Pro at work, and it has better resolution than consumer Google Earth.

[Jakko Westerbeke]

FWIW, when this thread began I decided to try looking at the area with Google Maps to see if I could find the wrecks. No luck, else I would have posted about it, but then, I didn’t spend overly much time on it. The main problem with it is too many green trees that obscure the wrecks from at least casual viewing. Maybe if you systematically go through at maximum zoom, you might find them, though?

[ChaseR83]

Originally Posted by Jakko Westerbeke

FWIW, when this thread began I decided to try looking at the area with Google Maps to see if I could find the wrecks. No luck, else I would have posted about it, but then, I didn’t spend overly much time on it. The main problem with it is too many green trees that obscure the wrecks from at least casual viewing. Maybe if you systematically go through at maximum zoom, you might find them, though?

Yes Google Earth is one of the first places I looked... and like you said it's just acres of trees.

The person I spoke to that saw them in 1973 gave a couple of bits of info... the area was overgrown even in 1973... and they aren't far from a road... he and a friend actually spotted them while out riding. He just doesn't remember the name of the road.

He also said he asked various hunters in the area over the years, and they all say they are still there.

[Jordan Baker]

What’s the thought on this being two of the Crusaders?

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Jordan Baker

What’s the thought on this being two of the Crusaders?

Nice spotto, could very well be them. I'm sure Terry "I use Google Earth Pro at work" can do better, though

[Ed Storey]

That was some amazing sleuthing! Those Crusader wrecks remind me of the Valentines that had been used as post-war hard targets and could, some 40 years ago, be found on the Petawawa, Ontario training area.

Armour casualties from the desert war in North Africa were shipped to North America as ballast to be then scrapped. Perhaps that is where the Crusaders had originally came from before being used as Fort Meade hard targets?

[ChaseR83]

Originally Posted by Jordan Baker

What’s the thought on this being two of the Crusaders?

That is certainly interesting....

[Dave Newcomb]

1965/66 The 11 Armored Cavalry Reg was reorganized at Ft Meade, then shipped to Vietnam. There were Armored vehicles as monuments all over the parade grounds. The history of Ft Meade might be worth knowing. I was there as a 'trooper' in the 11th. Our vehicle training was in Virginia though. Never got to that firing range. Dave

[maple_leaf_eh]

Originally Posted by Jakko Westerbeke

FWIW, when this thread began I decided to try looking at the area with Google Maps to see if I could find the wrecks. No luck, else I would have posted about it, but then, I didn’t spend overly much time on it. The main problem with it is too many green trees that obscure the wrecks from at least casual viewing. Maybe if you systematically go through at maximum zoom, you might find them, though?

Most online map imagery has a slider bar on one corner to change between image dates. Try looking at another time of year.

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Originally Posted by maple_leaf_eh

Most online map imagery has a slider bar on one corner to change between image dates. Try looking at another time of year.

Unfortunately, there’s none that I can see in Google Maps:

Google Maps screenshot.jpg

[maple_leaf_eh]

Originally Posted by Jakko Westerbeke

Unfortunately, there’s none that I can see in Google Maps:

Attachment 135069

There is likely a year somewhere on the display. Peck that and the slider bar will come up. There are differences between the desktop and mobile versions. As the expression goes, your mileage may vary.

[Jordan Baker]

This should get you into the area.

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Originally Posted by maple_leaf_eh

There is likely a year somewhere on the display. Peck that and the slider bar will come up. There are differences between the desktop and mobile versions.

This was in my web browser, and there was no year picker of any kind to be found. The Streetview feature does often have photos from different dates you can browse through, but not the satellite view.