The Tank Museum has provided an update on its efforts to raise money to restore its Cold War-era M47 Patton. The fundraiser, which was launched in June 2024, recently hit its halfway mark, with over half of the required £50,000 having been raised.
In the five months since beginning the fundraiser, the Tank Museum has raised over £15,000. Most of the funds raised have come from crowd-sourced donations, with an additional £10,000 donated by Cook Defence Systems, Ltd. and £1,800 raised through an auction of a 1/6-scale model of the M47.
The Tank Museum recently teamed up with Cook Defence Systems, Ltd. to reverse engineer Soviet-era tank tracks, which were then sent to Ukraine, to aid in the country’s efforts against Russia in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War.
“The Tank Museum is not only a historical collection; it is a unique and valuable resource for the whole Armoured Fighting Vehicle (AFV) community, including engineering companies like Cook Defence Systems,” said William Cook, the company’s director, in a press release. “We are pleased to support its important work.”
One of the many tanks named for US Gen. George S. Patton, the M47 entered service in 1951, amid the Korean War. Despite being deployed during an active conflict, however, it never wound up seeing combat with the US military.
Outside of the United States, the M47 was adopted by the likes of Austria, Greece, Iran, South Korea and West Germany. While the majority have since retired the tank, Iran still lists it as operational.
The M47 in the Tank Museum’s possession was obtained in 1987 from the Italian Army, having been slated to serve as a range target in retirement. A volunteer effort was launched in the 1990s to restore the tank, but the work was abandoned when more pressing matters popped up.
It’s never been put on display and has spent decades in storage.
The restoration is being done in partnership with engineer Matthew Pyle, who recently completed his own M47 restoration project. The Tank Museum’s one was transported to Pyle’s workshop in October 2024.
Lucy McCalister, marketing manager at the Tank Museum, said, “We are so grateful for the support of individual supporters and organisations like Cook Defence Systems, who have made this restoration possible.
“Though the M47 has often been described as ‘the most boring tank in the world’, it is an important piece of the story of Cold War tank development, and a significant addition to our running vehicles collection,” she added.
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The Tank Museum is aiming to have the M47 in running condition by TANKFEST 2025, which will occur from June 27-29, 2025.