M60 Tank
Height - 10ft 7in
Weight - 93,000 lbs
Length - 26 ft 8 in
Width - 10 ft 11 in
Forward Speed - 30 mph
Reverse Speed - 10 mph
Engine - 750hp. Continental AVDS - 1790 V-12 Diesel
Main Gun - 105mm/.51 Cal. M68 Rifled gun with 63 rounds
Commanders Machine-gun - M85 - .50 Cal. Anti-aircraft gun with 900 rounds.
In 1959, the first production order for the M60 tank was placed with Chrysler. In late 1959, the tank entered production at the Detroit Tank Arsenal with the first production tanks being completed in 1960. Over 15,000 M60 tanks were built by Chrysler and first saw service in 1961. Production ended in 1983, but 5,400 older models were converted the to M60A3 Variant ending in 1990. The M60 served as the primary battle tank of the U.S. Army and Marine Corps for two decades until replaced by the M1. It was criticized for its height and limitation of its cross country capabilities. The M60 was developed from the M48 Patton series and was fitted with a 105mm main gun and manned by a four man crew. Besides its main gun, the M60 series tanks were quipped with a 7.62mm M240 coaxial machine gun and a 12.7mm M85 anti-aircraft gun. Power was provided by a Continental AVDS-1790-2c 750hp V-12 engine and an Allison CD-850-6/6A power shift cross drive transmission. This durable tank
proved reliable and underwent many updates over its service life.
Its last operational service under the U.S. flag was in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm where the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force fielded 210 M60A1 tanks which played a very active role in the advance into Kuwait City.
The M60 main battle tank is now primally found in U.S. Reserve and National Guard Units.
Barry resident, Jody Gully, started the search for a tank or cannon to replace a World War I cannon that used to be in the park. When World War II broke out, the cannon was given to the Federal Government so bullets could be made from it.
Gully wrote letters to Senators Paul Simon and Alan Dixon asking for support in getting a war weary or obsolete tank or cannon for our park. This led to letters from the city being sent to military offices, which eventually resulted in an M60 tank being donated to Barry by the U.S. Army.
The tank came from Fort Cluster, Michigan, and was hauled to Barry on a 90ft. low boy rig. The total cost to transport the tank to Barry was $2,869 which included $2,200 for the truck and $669 for permits to allow it to be hauled on state highways. All of the money was donated.
This memorial is dedicated to all Veterans, past and present of the U.S. Armed Forces.
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