| Bob Semple tank | |
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| Type | Tank |
| Place of origin |  New Zealand |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 25. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island 4 tonnes |
| Length | 4. 20 m |
| Width | 3. 30 m |
| Height | 3. 65 m |
| Crew | 8 |
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| Armor | 8+12. For body armour see Armour, for armoured forces see Armoured warfare, for other uses see Armour (disambiguation. 7 |
| Primary armament |
6x Bren light machine guns |
| Engine | 6-cylinder diesel 95 kW |
| Operational range |
160 km |
| Speed | 24 km/h (off-road 8-9 km/h) |
The Bob Semple tank was a tank designed by New Zealand Minister of Works Bob Semple during World War II. The Bren (from '''Br'''no, the Czechoslovak city of design and '''En'''field, the location of the British Royal Small Arms Factory A light machine gun or LMG is a Machine gun that is generally lighter than other machine guns of the same period and is usually designed to be carried A tank is a tracked, Armoured fighting vehicle designed for Front-line combat which combines Operational mobility and tactical Robert Semple (commonly known as Bob Semple, 21 October 1873 - 31 January 1955) was a union leader and later Minister of Public Works World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Originating out of the need to build military hardware from available materials, the tank was built from corrugated iron on a tractor base. Corrugated galvanised iron (colloquially corrugated iron, commonly abbreviated CGI is a Building material composed of sheets of hot-dip galvanised Designed and built without formal plans or blueprints, it had numerous design flaws and practical difficulties, and was never put into mass production or used in combat. Despite this, it has become something of an icon of the New Zealand 'do it yourself' mentality.
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Design and construction
The original idea behind these tanks was to create armored vehicles using local materials and resources. It was decided that a ‘tractor-tank’ would be an adequate design, as if the need for defense arose, a large tank superstructure could be bolted upon a tractor base within a few hours, allowing for quick transformation and deployment of the tanks.
The tanks were constructed without the use of any formal plans or blueprints. Working from an American postcard depicting the conversion of a tractors to a ‘tractor-tank’, Bob Semple and TG Beck (Christchurch District Works Engineer), improvised the design of the tanks. Using resources available to Bob Semple as Minister of Public Works, the tanks were quickly produced in their Christchurch workshops. Christchurch (Ōtautahi The largest City in the South Island, it is also the second largest city and third largest urban area of New Zealand
The final product was an armored vehicle, standing 3. 5 metres tall, clad mild steel and corrugated manganese plates, sporting 6 machine-guns and an 8 man crew.
Handling and perfomance
Due to the limitations of requirements and resources, the tank was a functional failure. By using a large tractor as a base, and bolting on a hastily designed and poorly constructed tank superstructure, the resultant tanks were inadequately armored, extremely heavy (20-25 ton), unstable, restricted by tractor gearing to slow speeds, and had to stop to change gears. Furthermore, due to the shape of the underlying tractor and undue vibrations, shooting from the tank was both difficult and inevitably inaccurate.
Final result
In the end, due to their impracticality, the tanks were rejected for use by the New Zealand Army, dismantled, and restored to their previous state as tractors. New Zealand Army ( Maori: Ngāti Tumatauenga, "Tribe of the God of war" is the land Armed force of the New Zealand military
Built during the war hysteria, these tanks were a civilian effort to design and create a means to protect New Zealand. In doing so, the tanks arguably showed a self reliance and vigor in the nation, uplifting their morals. Used mainly for processions, these tanks were warmly received in Christchurch, Auckland and many other parts of the country. They stood as a symbol of hope for New Zealanders, at a time they needed it most.
References
- By Design: A brief history of the Public Works Department Ministry of Works 1870-1970 by Rosslyn J. Noonan (1975, Crown Copyright) (pages 172-173).
- No8 Wire: the best of Kiwi Ingenuity" by Bridges, Jon & Downs, David. Auckland, N. Z. : Hodder Moa Beckett, 2000
- "Defending New Zealand : ramparts on the sea 1840-1950s" by Cooke, Peter. Wellington, N. Z. : Defence of New Zealand Study Group, 2000.
- "New Zealand Yesterdays : a look at our recent past" by Keith, Haimish. Sydney, N. S. W. : Reader’s Digest Services, 1984.
External links
- Bob Semple tank or New Zealand's "NI" (Russian)
- English info
- A Bob Semple tank in Christchurch (photo)
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