Here's an update on my possible purchase: I found a capable shipper who can get the tank on a ship and get it off in the U.S. He wants to use the port in Brunswick, Georgia which is a lot farther than Port Everglades in Florida but he tells me there are few RORO ports (Roll-on, roll-off). There's one in Jacksonville, FL but they've had a lot of trouble bringing in military vehicles from there so I'll go with his experience.
I also have a man in the U.S. who can help with the ATF forms. He's also a collector and a wealth of information about this process. He knows a customs broker that's familiar with importing military iron.
Lastly I have the name of a Chieftain expert in the U.K. who can inspect the tank and let e know if there are any problems worth canceling the sale. I think he can also handle the demilling or suggest someone that can. I'd like to try and keep the chunk of breach they have to cut off. I may try to have it welded back together or I could use it to construct a facsimilie of the original. I'm not sure how the Chieftain gun works but it was my understanding on some tanks the beach is an important counter balance for the barrel. Without that extra weight, the barrel may not move or may even dangerously bounce while driving. bounce. Anybody know anything about that? My U.S. guy says there's nothing in the regulations that should prevent including the cut-off breach chunk.
I've been impressed with everyone I've dealt with so far on this project. These are very knowledgeable and helpful folks that seem to really be pulling to make this happen.
For what it's worth, the quote for the ocean shipping is less than I expected at about $10K. This number will likely go up, however, as I may need a crane and a MAFI to transport the tank. The shipper says that often when tanks get to the U.S. they're temperamental and won't start. So what they often do is put the tank on a MAFI, which is like a low trailer. On this end then, they hook the MAFI up to a tractor and pull it off the ship. The tank never has to start. When the transport truck arrives, they use a crane to lift it off the MAFI and place it on the truck.
The more obvious way to do all this is with the tank itself. You drive the tank onto the ship, you drive the tank off. When the truck arrives, you just drive it up the ramp and you're done...except for two problems. 1) I've never even been in a Chieftain and it's unlikely the truck driver has either. You need to get the tank dead on to the truck when you're driving up the ramp. 2) If you manage to get the tank started and moving up the ramp, you'll eventually find your 60 ton tank is at a 30 degree angle or so with nearly a third of it off the ramp, hovering over the trailer bed. Imagine a teeter totter. As a driver you can't even really see if you're still aligned and I suspect there will be a pretty sickening feeling as that tank starts to tip onto the trailer. Now imagine you've never even started a Chieftain and you have to do that.
So, does anyone know of any experienced Chieftain drivers? I'd like to chat with one and see if it would make sense to use him to start & load the tank onto the truck...assuming it starts, of course.
