Abbott Self-Propelled Gun FV433

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Built by Vickers Defence Systems, the Abbot Self-Propelled Gun was developed on the FV430 chassis used for a variety of armoured fighting vehicles.

The FV430 chassis was a conventional tracked design with the engine at the front and the driving position to the right. It proved perfect for mounting a turret with a 105mm howitzer, this variant being the model FV433. Its correct designation was ‘Gun Equipment 105mm L109 (Abbot)’, the name ‘Abbot’ continuing the Second World War tradition of naming self-propelled artillery after ecclesiastical titles (Sexton and Priest being other examples).

The gun was mounted in a fully rotating turret which could be powered through a complete 360 degree traverse and elevated to 70 degrees, giving it a range of up to 15km. Maximum rate of fire was 6–8 rounds per minute. Despite the overall weight of 16.5 tons with its 12mm steel armour, the Abbot could be made fully amphibious with a flotation screen fitted around the vehicle allowing it to ‘swim’ across water, the tracks propelling it at up to 3 knots. The FV433 operated with a crew of 4, often supplemented with an additional crew of 2 travelling in a separate, and fully amphibious, Stalwart Mk 2 High Mobility Load Carrier ammunition vehicle.

Developed during the late Fifties, the first of twelve prototypes was completed in 1961. Six were powered by a Rolls-Royce K60 multi-fuel engine and the other six powered by the Rolls-Royce B81 petrol engine. Production versions used the Rolls-Royce K60 engine developing 240bhp @ 3,750 rpm, giving the vehicle a top speed of 29mph and an operational range of 300 miles.

Entering service in 1964, a total of 146 Abbots joined the ranks of the British Army. In 1967 a further development of 88 vehicles, known as the ‘Value Engineered’ Abbot (a cheaper version without the flotation device and the powered turret), was delivered to the British Army for use in Canada and by the Indian Army. The Abbot was eventually replaced by the AS-90 Self-Propelled Gun in the mid-1990s.

There was only one reason why the British Army brought the Abbot tank into service and that was to lob big shells at aggressors that threatened Britain’s safety. Unfortunately for the buyer of the Stondon Museum tank, this facility has been removed by The Birmingham Gun Barrel Proof House, who certified on 30th March 1994 that the barrel has been deactivated. Please don’t let this put you off bidding on this mighty bit of modern warfare kit, it is still awesome and the mere sight of this Abbot would deal with your average neighbour dispute in seconds. A Certificate of Deactivation is included in the sale and should be retained by the owner at all times.

This lot will be available to view at Stondon Museum (SG16 6JN) on Friday 5th June. Although this vehicle will be offered for sale at Brightwells (HR6 0DE) it will need to be collected from Stondon. Due to where the vehicle is currently stored, collection may not be possible for up to 4 weeks after the auction.