What kind of M60 tanks are these and what is the main gun size?

2019-02-09T16:19:39-05:00

I belonged to an Idaho ANG Cav Brigade and two California ARNG armored battalions but we used Abrams Tanks back then. I noticed these tanks parked near The Joint Lewis-McChord Range Control office. I would like to know a little bit more about these tank models and if the main guns are different. Fort Lewis has had an exceptionally cold winter week with 8 inches of snow falling in the last 24 hours and a state of emergency declared by the Washington State Governor. The forecast calls for dropping temperatures. The temperature currently is 29° but it's supposed to drop to near-zero F tomorrow.
p.s. I was stranded at the USO in Seattle for 3 days since most flights were cancelled due to snow shutting down Vancouver, Seattle and Portland airports.

Response by PO3 Phyllis Maynard made Feb 9 at 2019 4:37 PM

2019-02-09T16:37:08-05:00

LTC Private RallyPoint Member how about that climate change and metal?:)

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 9 at 2019 4:38 PM

2019-02-09T16:38:48-05:00

It would appear the closest AFV to you is an M-60 Patton (Cold War Era) and the one further away could be an M-41 Walker or an M-47 Patton of possible Korean War / Cold War vintage.

Response by PVT Mark Zehner made Feb 9 at 2019 4:51 PM

2019-02-09T16:51:42-05:00

Not sure but great picture!

Response by LTC David Brown made Feb 9 at 2019 5:11 PM

2019-02-09T17:11:52-05:00

Snow happens there, when I was there in 1984-1985 it snowed and got bitterly cold. My X went to Augusta to visit friend and had a picnic at Clark Hill Lake! No idea concerning the tanks.

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Feb 9 at 2019 5:56 PM

2019-02-09T17:56:07-05:00

M60A1-A3 fired a 105 mm round

Response by CW5 Jack Cardwell made Feb 9 at 2019 6:03 PM

2019-02-09T18:03:41-05:00

All M60 variants were 105mm except for the M60A2 which was 152 mm with a stubby gun tube.

Response by Lt Col Charlie Brown made Feb 9 at 2019 6:12 PM

2019-02-09T18:12:07-05:00

Can't help, but it is a great photo

Response by Brad Powers made Feb 9 at 2019 7:16 PM

2019-02-09T19:16:18-05:00

Looks like the M60 Patton main battle tank. If it is then it mechanically supports a rifled 105 mm (4.1 in) main gun and a 50 caliber BMG. It is a formidable weapon though it does need American ground Crews to sustain its March.

Response by SPC Anthony Schepis made Feb 9 at 2019 7:25 PM

2019-02-09T19:25:50-05:00

It’s a railgun

Response by Capt Gregory Prickett made Feb 9 at 2019 11:01 PM

2019-02-09T23:01:25-05:00

The one in the back is an M47 Patton with a 90mm main gun. You can distinguish it from the M48 Patton by the turret, especially the back part of the turret. You can also look at the road wheels, the M47 had a gap between the 1st and 2nd road wheels, while on the M48, all of the wheels were evenly spaced. The front tank is an M60, with a 105mm main gun. With the snow, it's impossible to tell if it is an A1 or A3 model--the A1 having a more rounded turret.

Response by Cpl Benjamin Long made Feb 10 at 2019 12:19 AM

2019-02-10T00:19:57-05:00

75 mm gun M3 (90–104 rounds)* Correction that is the WW2 Sherman M4, the M60 had 105mm Main armement

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Feb 10 at 2019 1:42 AM

2019-02-10T01:42:17-05:00

Seeing anything with a 90mm on it causes me to look at my umbrella holder, a spent case from one. I was doing some varied reading on it. Like the German 88, it started out as an AA gun. There are articles out there saying it's comparable to the 88. It could have been better but the Germans were better with metallurgy and our penetrator steel was inferior to it. A number of examples can be found at various installations and museums. I enjoy my piece of history on the front porch. Pretty impressive AA throwing a HE pill up to 60K feet where nobody was flying at the time.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 10 at 2019 2:04 AM

2019-02-10T02:04:50-05:00

I have never seen a functioning German 88. I have seen non-functioning ones before. One at the Siegfried line in Germany inside one of the tunnels that you can take on tour in the SAAR of Germany. The other German 88 I saw at the Palm Springs Museum on the other side of the airport

Response by PFC James (LURCH) Janota made Feb 10 at 2019 6:26 AM

2019-02-10T06:26:11-05:00

I’m not too familiar with this series of tanks but I have had experience with Diesel engine vehicles. I hope they run them often in that cold.

Response by SGT Dave Matteson made Feb 11 at 2019 10:06 AM

2019-02-11T10:06:30-05:00

The M60 in the foreground has the M68 105mm main gun as used on the M60A1-A3 and M1 Abrams and the M47 in the background has the M36 90mm main gun.

Response by SGT Daniel Durkovich made Feb 15 at 2019 5:04 PM

2019-02-15T17:04:06-05:00

Look like M48 or M60. Can't tell from the picture too well but look like 105mm

Response by SPC Robert Willis made Feb 20 at 2019 11:46 AM

2019-02-20T11:46:24-05:00

Not sure if that's the M60 a 1 2 or 3 but the M60 had a 105 mm main gun.

Response by SSG Stuart Zion made Mar 18 at 2019 12:31 AM

2019-03-18T00:31:32-04:00

105 mm

Response by SSG William Hubbard made Mar 19 at 2019 12:10 PM

2019-03-19T12:10:45-04:00

They look like M60A1

Response by SP5 Peter Pruitt made Mar 21 at 2019 4:03 PM

2019-03-21T16:03:50-04:00

I think A1 and 105mm

Response by SFC Ron Shaffer made May 3 at 2019 11:37 PM

2019-05-03T23:37:56-04:00

The close one does look like the early M60. I was on one in the 80’s for a weekend when my unit trained with some NG’s at fort bragg. The essentially looked like a M48 turret on a M60 chassis. I am not sure how long they served but the turret changed with the A1-A3 to the turret you mostly see as museum pieces. I started on the M60A1, went to the A3, then M1IP then retired in on a M1A1. I told my soldiers that I knew it was time to retire when the tank I started on is now on display in front of the Burger King on post at fort carson.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 27 at 2019 4:07 PM

2019-09-27T16:07:02-04:00

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 27 at 2019 4:26 PM

2019-09-27T16:26:16-04:00

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 27 at 2019 9:12 PM

2019-09-27T21:12:19-04:00

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 27 at 2019 9:35 PM

2019-09-27T21:35:21-04:00

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 27 at 2019 11:21 PM

2019-09-27T23:21:01-04:00

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 27 at 2019 11:21 PM

2019-09-27T23:21:48-04:00

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 27 at 2019 11:55 PM

2019-09-27T23:55:17-04:00

105mm main gun. We had those on the M-60s and the original M-1. The cool thing about the 105 is that we had so many different round options. My favorite was the white phosphorus rounds. They made a huge mess and burned everything.

Response by SSG Tom Montgomery made Sep 28 at 2019 12:09 AM

2019-09-28T00:09:19-04:00

If the are M-60's their main gun is 155mm.

Response by CSM Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 28 at 2019 6:56 PM

2019-09-28T18:56:07-04:00

They look like M60A1’s to me! They had a 105MM main gun, M85 .50 cal MG in the Commanders Cupola and a M219 .30 (7.62) cal for a coax and an M60 .30 cal (7.62) in the loaders hatch....great tank! If you had some OHT (oil hydraulic test), safety wire and a hammer you could keep it going forever!!

Response by SP5 James Driggers made Feb 4 at 2020 10:56 PM

2020-02-04T22:56:59-05:00

ONE ON LEFT LOOKS LIKE THE FIRST M60, ONE ON RIGHT LOOKS LIKE MABY A 48

Response by SP5 James Driggers made Feb 4 at 2020 11:22 PM

2020-02-04T23:22:20-05:00

105 1,400 meter zero range , heat hep, high explosive rounds and white fosrus.

Response by SSG Robert Velasco made Jul 16 at 2020 7:53 PM

2020-07-16T19:53:50-04:00

I'm not sure,but they could be M-48's.some where fitted with 105 mm main gun and power packs were upgraded also! Man,what a rush to remember Yakima!

Response by SSG Tom Montgomery made Jul 16 at 2020 11:06 PM

2020-07-16T23:06:13-04:00

They look to me like M-60 A1.
155mm main gun.
30 cal coax
50 cal cupola mounted machine gun.

Response by SP5 Ralph Arvizu made Jul 4 at 2022 10:29 AM

2022-07-04T10:29:14-04:00

An M-60 is an M-60, is an M-60! They (M-60 Tanks) are ALL the same. It had a 105 Millimeter Main Gun.
The M-48 had a 90 Millimeter Main Gun. I took Armor training in a M-48 and went to Vietnam with C Co 2nd Bn 34th Armor in August 1966. When I came back from Vietnam in June 1967 I was assigned to the Armor School in Ft. Knox and they had the M-60 there.
Ralph 11E40