55-ton tank joins Cantigny's fleet

Relax. We're not under attack. Cantigny Park just has something new it wants to show you.

The sight of a 55-ton tank coming down Winfield Road last week was the latest addition to Cantigny's collection of tanks used by the Army's First Division in various military conflicts.

The new tank is an M1 Abrams, first produced in 1980 and used in the Desert Storm/Desert Shield operations in Kuwait and Iraq.

The tank is so large that it took a 22-wheel semi-trailer to transport it from Georgia.

Officials were concerned the tank was too large to fit through the gates of the park. After a tight squeeze, the tank now sits in the south parking lot. Once the ground freezes, the tank will be moved into a permanent position.

Park spokesman Steve Hawkins said Army officials are researching the history of the tank to see if and when it may have served in combat.

Before it was stripped, the tank fired 40-pound shells from its 105mm gun. A crew of four was capable of firing the shells while moving at a top speed of 45 mph on a turbine engine. The tank was retired from service in 1996.

Tanks at Cantigny Park:

• M1917 Light Tank

• M5 Stuart Tank1941

• M24 Chaffee Tank

• M41A3-Walker/Bulldog

• T26E4 Pershing Tank

• M46 Patton Tank

• M47 Patton Tank

• M48 Patton Tank

• M551A1 Sheridan Tank

• M60 Patton Tank

• M113A2 APC

• M1 Abrams Tank

• M4A3E8 Sherman Tank

• French Schneider Tank (wooden reproduction)