The vehicle is in “fantastic” condition despite its subterranean stay says the man behind the dig.
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A World War Two tank buried 30ft (9m) underground for the past 74 years has been unearthed by volunteers.
The Buffalo LVT was brought in to provide flood defences around Crowland, in Lincolnshire, in 1947, but was swept away and sank into a hole.
A team of volunteers spent five days excavating the vehicle and now hope to restore it and put it on display.
Daniel Abbott, chairman of the Crowland Buffalo LVT group, said he was “overwhelmed” and “over the moon”.
The amphibious vehicle was one of 16 deployed to protect the town in March 1947 after floods caused the nearby River Welland to burst its banks
However, as the flood waters were pumped back, five of the 26ft-long vehicles floated away. One was later recovered, two sank in fishing pits and two sank into a hole.
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image copyrightPA Media
“This is something I have been working on for three years, and I never dreamt in five days we would have one out above ground for people to see,” Mr Abbott said.
“It’s in fantastic condition for its age.”
image copyrightTerry-Harris.com
image copyrightTerry-Harris.com
He said getting it out of the ground was only the first stage in the project, and a fundraising appeal had been launched to help restore it.
“We would ultimately like to have it located somewhere within the town as a memorial to the 1947 floods and the Herculean efforts made to repair the bank and remove the flood water,” he added.
“I’ve always said I wanted to get one out in time for the 75th anniversary and we are ahead of schedule now.”
He said the tank, which had seen operations in the Rhine, would form the focal point for local children to learn about the floods.
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image copyrightKeystone-France/Getty Images
- The Buffalo LVT (Landing Vehicle Tracked) was a lightly-armoured amphibious landing craft
- It was a relatively quick and effective way to transport troops, small vehicles and supplies, but was easily damaged
- It played a significant role during the crossing of the Rhine and Elbe rivers in 1945, when bridges were not immediately available
Source: Imperial War Museum
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