A34 Comet MK1A Celerity Tank restoration version 2

Описание: Version 2

fully restored Comet Tank ‘Celerity’ by the Dutch company BAIV B.V. During the last months of World War Two this cruiser tank proved to be a strong opponent of the German Tiger Tank, thanks to its low silhouette, speed and manoeuvrability combined with an highly accurate 77mm gun. The Comet was so successful that the tank served in the British Army till 1958 and after that served in several Commonwealth countries till the early sixties!

Ultimate goal of the BAIV crew was to perform a Class A-restoration of the Comet in a challenging 9 months’ timeframe. The restored Comet would made its first public appearance during the War and Peace Revival in July 2016.

Despite the relatively short restoration period (9 months) the team faced many successes but also setbacks. For example the Comet was equipped with a very complicated but also reliable five-speed semi epileptic Merritt-Brown combined gearbox and steering unit. This combined gearbox and steering unit makes a neutral turn possible. The system is easy to operate compared with US built tanks. However, it was an absolute puzzle to get it operational and aligned. So many hours were spent to figure out the system and understand the operational sequence. Despite all preparations the piping to control the system had to be modified twice!

During the restoration the project name was ‘Why Worry’ as a kind of memorial to a knocked out tank with this very challenging name. However, in relation to its first public appearance at the War and Peace Revival this year the BAIV crew got in contact with Dr Steve Pannell. He is the son of veteran Dennis Pannell, who was a driver on a Comet. His Comet knocked out a Tiger tank close to the city of Norddrebber and the river Aller (between Hannover and Bremen). As a dedication to driver Dennis Pannell, the BAIV crew received permission to name the tank after Dennis Pannells’ Comet: ‘Celerity’, which stands for ‘with speed’.