M74 Armored Recovery Vehicle
A M74 in the Sinsheim Museum
TypeArmored recovery vehicle
Place of originUnited States
Service history
Used byUnited States
Belgium
Spain
Portugal
Yugoslavia
Greece
Production history
DesignerBowen-McLaughlin-York
Designed1953
ManufacturerBowen-McLaughlin-York
Unit costM74B1 - $45,000 for conversion
Produced1953-1958
No. built1126
VariantsM74, M71B1
Specifications
Mass42.5 tons
Length7.95 m (26 ft 1 in)
Width3.10 m (10 ft 2 in)
Height3.11 m (10 ft 2 in)
Crew4
Armor108 mm maximum
Main
armament
1× .50 caliber Browning M2HB machine gun
1× .30 caliber Browning M1919A4 machine gun
EngineFord GAA V-8 gasoline engine
450 hp
Power/weight10.6 hp/tonne
TransmissionSynchromesh transmission
(5 forward and 1 reverse gears)
SuspensionHorizontal volute spring suspension (HVSS)
Fuel capacity168 U.S. gallons (636 litres)
Operational
range
160 km
Maximum speed 34 km/h (21 mph)

The M74 tank recovery vehicle (M74)[1] was an engineer vehicle used by the U.S. Army in the 1950s. It was designed to cope with the heavier weights of the M26 Pershing and M47 Patton. It could also be suitable for light dozing, since it had a hydraulic, front-mounted spade.[2] 1126[3] were produced by Bowen-McLaughlin-York by converting M4A3 Sherman tanks starting in 1954. From 1956, 60[3] M32B3A1s were converted by Rock Island Arsenal until 1958.[4]

Development

After the Korean War the M74 was designed to cope with the heavier weights of the new vehicles that were being introduced.[5][6]

Designed in 1953,[7] it was based on the M4A3 HVSS medium tank and it was developed to cope with the heavier M26 Pershing and M47 Patton tanks which were entering service, which the M32 Armoured Recovery Vehicle (ARV) was unable to retrieve. Using the standard Ford GAA and HVSS suspension[3] the chassis would be rebuilt. It was replaced in service with the U.S. Army by the M88 Hercules.[4][6]

Design

The M74 was fitted with a main 60,000 lb (27,000 kg)[4][6][3] hydraulic winch, a lighter-duty general purpose secondary winch, a hydraulic A-frame, and a hydraulic front-mounted spade, which was suitable for light dozing, as well as serving as an anchor for heavy winching operations.[2][8][3] It had a .50-caliber M2 machine gun atop the hull and a .30-cal M1919A4 machine gun in the right bow.[3]

Variants

The M74B1 was a M32A1B3 converted to M74B1.[9]

Production

A M74 near Ulm, Germany, in 1954

1126 M74 ARVs were produced between 1953 and 1955 by Bowen-McLaughlin-York.[3] The conversion of M4A3 Sherman tanks into M74 recovery vehicles was started by Bowen in 1954.[10] Some were also converted from obsolete M32A1B3 by Rock Island Arsenal until 1958.[4]

Operators

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Spence. Army Vehicle Identification Numbers ISBN 0-938242-10-5
  2. ^ a b Berndt, Thomas. Standard Catalog of U.S. Military Vehicles, 1940–1965 (Krause Publications, 1993), p. 193.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Allen, Joshua (2024-03-23). "M74 Tank Recovery Vehicle". Tank Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  4. ^ a b c d "M74 Tank Recovery Vehicle – Olive Drab.com". Olive Drab.com LLC. October 12, 2011. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  5. ^ Conners, Chris (2011). "Medium Tank Recovery Vehicle M74". Chris Conners. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  6. ^ a b c d Skaarup, Harold (2011), p. 172.
  7. ^ Brown, Jerold E. (2001). Historical Dictionary of the U.S. Army. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 27. ISBN 0-313-29322-8.
  8. ^ Chant (2014), p. 21.
  9. ^ "Tank Recovery Vehicles". the.shadock.free.fr. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
  10. ^ Doyle, David (2011). Standard Catalog of U.S. Military Vehicles (Second ed.). Iola, WI: Krause Publications. pp. 417–418. ISBN 978-1-4402-2572-7.
  11. ^ Arcq, Pierre (1981). "Le renouvellement des transporteurs de troupes de l'armée belge". Courrier Hebdomadaire du Crisp. 915 (10): 1–25.
  12. ^ Marx, Stefan (2004). Die Bergepanzer der Bundeswehr und die deutsche Bergetechnik. Tankograd Militärfahrzeuge Spezial (in German). Vol. 5004. Tankograd Publishing.
  13. ^ Manrique, La Brunete, p. 69
  14. ^ SIPRI Arms Transfers Database (PortugueseTransfers). 2019. p. 6.
  15. ^ Kočevar, Iztok (August 2014). "Micmac à tire-larigot chez Tito: L'arme blindée yougoslave durant la Guerre froide" [The Yugoslav armored arm during the Cold War]. Batailles et Blindés (in French). No. 62. Caraktère. pp. 66–79. ISSN 1765-0828.
  16. ^ Vollert, Verlang Jochen (2011). 7023 Armoured vehicle of the Yugoslav armies 1945-present (1st ed.). Germany: Tankograd. p. 15. ASIN B008C0RQ3O.

References

External links

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