Somebody had forgotten to close a hatch properly, so it was full of water as well!

Here is the Danish Army Specific: The Centurion MK III was received as part of the MDAP program in 1953 (216), some of them after participating in the Korean War. To compensate for the notorious fuel-consumption a fuel trailer was delivered along with the MBT.

Weight: 50.800 kg (111.760 lb.).
Armor: 51 – 152 mm (2 – 6 inches).
….Engine: V12-cylinder Rolls-Royce Meteor Mk IV B, 27.027 cm3 (1648 cubic ….inches) displacement, liquid cooled.
….Horsepower: 650 at 2.550 rpm.
Transmission: 5-speed Merrit-Brown Z51R Mk. F gearbox.
Transfer case: 2-speed.
Electrical system: 24 volt, negative ground.
Brakes: N/A.
Fording depth:
without preparation: 1.40 m (54 inches).
with deep water fording kit: N/A.
Fuel type: Petrol.
Fuel capacity: 550 liters (121 gallons).
Range: 100 km (62 miles).
Crew: 4.
Armament: 84 mm gun with 64 rounds, Besa machine gun, 2 x 6 smoke dischargers.
Additional: Mounted with SCR-508 or SCR-528 radio.
The CFE-treaty, the result of the Negotiation on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe in 1990, stated that Denmark were allowed to posses 300 MBT´s. As a result 146 Centurions have been destroyed from 1993 – 95. 18 of the 146 MBT´s have gone to museums (2), static display (8) and range targets (8).

The first flights from Kill Devil Hills were not catapulted. (As the re-enactment was not!) That it was not possible to pull this off (17’th Dec. 2003) is interesting even with the help of the best testpilots and engineers.

Wind tunnels, compensating for adverse yaw, correcting Lillienthals research – they were certainly not ordinary bicycle smiths.

Best regards

The centurion main battle tank engine was called Rolls Royce Meteor (650 BHP @ 2550 rpm). Wasn’t this a version of the Merlin. Without supercharge apparantly. Any tankers here? Also seem to remember a trailer with fuel for the Centurion to “extend” range.

Best regards

I’ve read this story before – some years ago.

Sounds like a UFO-story (“There is something out there!”)

or a ghost story?

Could anyone dig out the real investigation. (Yes – but somebody’s got to do it)

Doing night shifts for close to 30 years – seen a handful of spectacular shooting stars (that kind). Remaining sceptical –

and yours truly