M1A1 recovered from Ocean floor

[Danzer]

It's a bit of old but i haven't seen it before..

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=21036&archive=true

[ckabusk]

Wow, we are prepared on everything, go Bush!

[CG51]

interesting, but how does a 68 ton tank "fall off" a hovercraft?

[henksmoeder]

Wow, we are prepared on everything, go Bush!

WTF does Bush has to do with the recovery of a M1A1 from the bottom of the ocean????

[Danzer]

interesting, but how does a 68 ton tank "fall off" a hovercraft?

From a marines Bulletin board


I have a friend in the Marines who is devastated by a recent accident in his unit. He said an M1A1 Abrams tank was chained down to a small hovercraft (LCAT) yesterday, to be transferred to get repairs. Protocol requires a Marine to stay inside the tank for various reasons. The chains that held the tank to the LCAT snapped, and the tank rolled off the back of the ship and sunk into about 90 feet of water, with the Marine trapped inside.

The Force Recon team couldn’t get to the tank and open the hatch for him until it was already underwater for over an hour. For the first twenty minutes of that hour crews actually had functional comm with the Marine.


Here is the official release.

Marine dies as tank plunges into water
By Gidget Fuentes
Times staff writer

OCEANSIDE, Calif. – A Marine corporal drowned Feb. 17 when his M1A1 Abrams tank fell from a Navy landing craft and sank into a Guam, a Marine Corps spokesman said.
The accident killed Cpl. Adam S. Lipford, 22, of Madisonville, La., said Capt. Bill Pelletier, spokesman for the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

The accident happened about 4:15 p.m., as the air-cushioned landing craft was transporting Lipford and the tank to the dock landing ship Germantown in Guam’s Apra Harbor, Pelletier said by telephone from the amphibious assault ship Peleliu. No other Marines were inside the tank at the time.

Divers recovered Lipford’s body about 6:10 p.m. Lipford, a tank driver with Bravo Company, 1st Tank Battalion, was ****ounced dead at Naval Hospital Guam. Tankers from the battalion, based at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, Calif., were deployed with the Camp Pendleton, Calif.-based 13th MEU.

Marines and sailors of the MEU were in the fourth day of an end-of-deployment vehicle wash-down on a Guam beach at the time of the accident. The 13th MEU is returning home from a seven-month deployment with Expeditionary Strike Group 1 that included operations in southern Iraq, the Arabian Sea and the Horn of Africa

RIP Marine

http://www.corpsstories.com/memoriam-Lipford.htm

[Dalleer]

Ouch..

RIP.

[Hugh Jardon]

I'm sure that if the marine was able to he would have gotten out. A case of the bends is preferable to going that way.

Damn. That's just wrong. Wrong wrong wrong.

[Apogee]

I'm sure that if the marine was able to he would have gotten out. A case of the bends is preferable to going that way.

Damn. That's just wrong. Wrong wrong wrong.

If he got out quickly he wouldn't have suffered the bends (Decompression Sickness). You only get the bends if you take on alot of nitrogen, which requires staying under for a while. If you do what we call a bounce dive, you don't really incur alot of nitrogen. Him hauling ass out of a falling tank would be equivolent to a bounce dive.

[Hadfield]

Thats aweful.

R.I.P.

[Hugh Jardon]

I imagine it was only seconds to hit the bottom. I think he must have been trapped.

[faithless]

That very sad but accidents do happen andsome people die because of them.

But you dont join if you dont know if it can mean your life.


R.I.P

[faithless]

That very sad but accidents do happen andsome people die because of them.

But you dont join if you dont know if it can mean your life.


R.I.P

[CG51]

For the first twenty minutes of that hour crews actually had functional comm with the Marine.

Jesus...RIP...

[Midav]

Damn.

RIP :(

[Digital Marine]

RIP thats an aweful way to die :(

[GothicSnake]

Sounds like this accident could have been prevented, at least the Marine's death could have. Why in the hell do they have to stay in the tank? **** that, I wouldn't do that no matter what regs say. I'd sit on top of it, maybe, but stay inside? Yeah, we saw how well that worked out for Cpl Lipford. :cantbeli: Ridiculous.

:( Sad story.

[usa320]

Sounds like this accident could have been prevented, at least the Marine's death could have. Why in the hell do they have to stay in the tank? f*** that, I wouldn't do that no matter what regs say. I'd sit on top of it, maybe, but stay inside? Yeah, we saw how well that worked out for Cpl Lipford. :cantbeli: Ridiculous.

:( Sad story.

yeah, i really dont understand the point of keeping someone inside either...

Or if they do need someone inside, they should keep the hatch open so they wont get stuck.

[Lestat]

ok i dont know a thing about the tanks hatch but why couldnt he get it to open even if you are 100ft down and you dont panic you can actually swim to the surface on a lung full of air as long as you expell the air as you rise slowly but im sure if he could he would of.

[Ratamacue]

ok i dont know a thing about the tanks hatch but why couldnt he get it to open even if you are 100ft down and you dont panic you can actually swim to the surface on a lung full of air as long as you expell the air as you rise slowly but im sure if he could he would of.
Ever heard of something called pressure? Go ditch your car in a lake, then try opening the door before the compartment is completely filled with water.

[radon]

I would want to keep the hatch open anytime. It will be harder in the beginning when the water flows in but atleast getting out is possible. No human can open that hatch under the pressure.

Maybe they want to keep the hatch closed so less salty seawater is going inside destroying the inside of the tank.

[Apogee]

Besides just the water trying to enter the tank, you have differences in pressure. Inside, the pressure is approx. 1 ATM while at 100 ft of sea water, the pressure outside the tank is approx 4 ATM. That means theres 3 ATM of difference between the two. Thats almost 45 lbs / in^2 on that tank hatch. No way you'd be able to get it open.

[OMEGA7]

Besides just the water trying to enter the tank, you have differences in pressure. Inside, the pressure is approx. 1 ATM while at 100 ft of sea water, the pressure outside the tank is approx 4 ATM. That means theres 3 ATM of difference between the two. Thats almost 45 lbs / in^2 on that tank hatch. No way you'd be able to get it open.

i think just in now that's cna t get it but i knew because i've living in japan because . no way to i can speak about this possible . tha water filled in this M1tank it will abel to salvage how to unsubmerge from in the sea . and more . would the M1tank sinked about ft100 of sea water in direction in INDIA where stay does it is ? how ever i think even if M1 tank filled the sea water in cluding M1 tank has weight too . these all contain all weight is the 1oo ! is this ****ing weight as you know about the tank ususually a some tank has weight average's 40 to 5o ton (MBT only) but this tank had wieght's toomuch mascle and is it the tank look likes PIG?

[0341]

Besides just the water trying to enter the tank, you have differences in pressure. Inside, the pressure is approx. 1 ATM while at 100 ft of sea water, the pressure outside the tank is approx 4 ATM. That means theres 3 ATM of difference between the two. Thats almost 45 lbs / in^2 on that tank hatch. No way you'd be able to get it open.

i think just in now that's cna t get it but i knew because i've living in japan because . no way to i can speak about this possible . tha water filled in this M1tank it will abel to salvage how to unsubmerge from in the sea . and more . would the M1tank sinked about ft100 of sea water in direction in INDIA where stay does it is ? how ever i think even if M1 tank filled the sea water in cluding M1 tank has weight too . these all contain all weight is the 1oo ! is this f*** weight as you know about the tank ususually a some tank has weight average's 40 to 5o ton (MBT only) but this tank had wieght's toomuch mascle and is it the tank look likes PIG?

WTF did he just say???????????

[JasonH]

For the first twenty minutes of that hour crews actually had functional comm with the Marine.

Jesus...RIP...

Probably suffocated, those tansk are sealed shut but I'm not a tanker. But if he managed to stay alive for 20 minutes (possibly longer after comm died) than he likely suffocated. :( Rest in peace

[kayaker]

MBTS have NBC/ABC warfare capabilities. Was there any equipment (that could have been utilized) and prevented suffocation (asphyxiated) intergrated in the tank that could hanve prolonged his life? :|

[Argyll]

Was the body recovered during this operation,or on the day of the accident?

[szr]

Was the body recovered during this operation,or on the day of the accident?I believe it was recovered by the MEU's Force Recon plt., the day of the incident.

[usm2b]

Besides just the water trying to enter the tank, you have differences in pressure. Inside, the pressure is approx. 1 ATM while at 100 ft of sea water, the pressure outside the tank is approx 4 ATM. That means theres 3 ATM of difference between the two. Thats almost 45 lbs / in^2 on that tank hatch. No way you'd be able to get it open.

i think just in now that's cna t get it but i knew because i've living in japan because . no way to i can speak about this possible . tha water filled in this M1tank it will abel to salvage how to unsubmerge from in the sea . and more . would the M1tank sinked about ft100 of sea water in direction in INDIA where stay does it is ? how ever i think even if M1 tank filled the sea water in cluding M1 tank has weight too . these all contain all weight is the 1oo ! is this f*** weight as you know about the tank ususually a some tank has weight average's 40 to 5o ton (MBT only) but this tank had wieght's toomuch mascle and is it the tank look likes PIG?

WTF did he just say???????????

Im not quite sure either, but I'll try translating it from what I understand.

He said that there needs to be a safety device implemented where you could blow the hatch off in emergencies to get out(similiar to the canopy of a fighter plane.)


edit - then again...Everything is simple in my world.

[soma]

How can they call the tank protected against NBC if it isn't water tight. Yeah I know, expelled shells, etc but ****.

[M1A2U2]

Wow, we are prepared on everything, go Bush!

WTF does Bush has to do with the recovery of a M1A1 from the bottom of the ocean????

Didn't u hear? Bush ordered it be pushed off...It was in michael moores most recent column...Hes uncovered "secret" documents

[HoboWithAK]

Wow, we are prepared on everything, go Bush!

WTF does Bush has to do with the recovery of a M1A1 from the bottom of the ocean????

Didn't u hear? Bush ordered it be pushed off...It was in michael moores most recent column...Hes uncovered "secret" documents

I'm glad you think it's funny that a U.S. Marine died, **** stick.

[HoboWithAK]

Wait a second. Didn't your sorry ass leave/die a long time ago?

[soma]

Clearly not.

[M1A2U2]

I know how pissed off u ugys get when I point out the absurdity of blaming bush for everything.

[Maine Finn]

I know how pissed off u ugys get when I point out the absurdity of blaming bush for everything.

A little bit of tact and diplomacy goes a long way.

[M1A2U2]

I know how pissed off u ugys get when I point out the absurdity of blaming bush for everything.

A little bit of tact and diplomacy goes a long way.

We all know you are a true diplomat

[Maine Finn]

I know how pissed off u ugys get when I point out the absurdity of blaming bush for everything.

A little bit of tact and diplomacy goes a long way.

We all know you are a true diplomat

Compared to yourself, perhaps so. The trick is knowing when to be aggressive.

[RomanS]

Sad story, especially for the Marine.
Must of been hard for his buddies on the comm till the last minute.
RIP BRO