When you get off the ferry at Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island, the first town you come to is Sidney. I didn’t know there was anything there that we were interested in but one of our party, Jim, was keen to see an F-86 Sabre and a Sherman tank that are on display in the town. They are sitting on a pretty average looking street so seem a little incongruous. The Sabre looked like it was in need of some love. The tank, on the other hand, seemed in great condition. Of course, a tank is a bit more resilient to the comings and goings of a town so it probably can handle itself. I did like the Keep Off notice on the front. Probably not original but, it would have been funny if it had been in German. (For the specialists, I know the Canada did not use these tanks in Germany.)
Tag Archives: Tank
Cutting Open a Tank
When Paul Allen died, there was some debate about the future of the Flying Heritage and Combat Armor Museum at Paine Field. The onset of the pandemic meant it closed down and most of us assumed it would never reopen. With everything sold to one of the Walton family, a move across country was then seen as the likely next step but it turns out, for now at least, that the museum is back open and running. Consequently, I stopped in to have a look at what has changed.
In previous visits I have checked out their main battle tank that is cut in half. Apparently this was a gift from Jordan. The vehicle has been cut lengthways giving a detailed view of the interior layout of the vehicle. You can walk through the middle to check things out. On this visit, I was playing with some wider lens shots and, while I have taken images of this exhibit before, I paid it more attention this time.
Even with it cut in half, some of the exposed spaces that the crew inhabits seem ridiculously small. I can’t imagine how cramped they are in real life. Being stuck in such a small space when in genuine peril and with limited options for escape should something go wrong must be quite focusing for the mind. Not hard to see how I didn’t end up as a tank crew member.
What Was Once a Tank
The new ferry terminal at Mukilteo is located on the site of what was once an Air Force fuel tank farm. There is not much left to give that role away anymore but the shape of the tanks is still visible on the ground. One of them still seems to have some of the old tank material left over too. Not sure what the story is with cleaning up the site and removing the material but it isn’t cordoned off so I guess it has been decontaminated.
Drop Tank By the Road
Sometimes you find the oddest things by the road. Just outside NAS Whidbey Island, there is a drop tank sitting by the road. I have no idea what it is doing there. It seems to be on someone’s yard. The shape was not something that looked like a Navy tank (which you might expect). I thought it looked like something from an F-111. Fortunately, It had a data plate which showed a serial that seems to suggest a Fort Worth General Dynamics product so I guess F-111 is probably it. Anyone know the story?
Some Waterfront Freight Traffic
The weather was not great for a portion of the holiday period so, when the sun came out, we took a trip to Shoreline to walk along the beach. A couple of freight trains passed by while we were there. One of them was just a set of locomotives on a light move while the other was a train of tank cars. The curves along the shore provide a bit more context to just how long a full sized freight train can be with the line of cars snaking off into the distance.
Camera Bag Review
I was a lucky boy and got a new camera bag for my birthday. Since getting my first piece of Think Tank equipment, I have been taken by how well their products are designed. I have had (and continue to have) many camera bags and usually they come with some shortcoming or other that leaves me still searching for the right product. My first Think Tank bag has never left me feeling that.
This time I was after a smaller bag that would be good around town. The one I wanted is also designed to be inconspicuous since it doesn’t look like a camera bag at all. It is called the Retrospective 30. This is a great looking bag on its own. The fact it is well designed as a camera bag too is a bonus. Some nice little features include Velcro closures that can be doubled over to make the flap silent in use (obviously without being secured in the same way) if you are keen to be inconspicuous when accessing the bag.
It can carry a surprisingly large amount. On its first trip out I ended up with as much in it as I sometimes get in a Computrekker backpack from Lowepro. I had two bodies and three lenses plus some straps and a spare card holder and it did fine. One thing to note, though. It is a sturdy shoulder strap that carries all this and putting all that weight on one shoulder can be a bit tiring after a while. The bag is fine – I’m more of a wimp!