Beach armoured recovery vehicle

Able to operate in nine-foot (2.7-metre) deep water, the BARV was used to remove vehicles that had become broken-down or swamped in the surf and were blocking access to the beaches.

Unusually for a tank, the crew included a diver whose job was to attach towing chains to stuck vehicles.

Unlike other Sherman models, the M4A2 was powered by a diesel engine because it was believed the tank would be less affected by the sudden temperature changes caused by the regular plunges into cold water.

The vehicle was stuck in the mud for a few days, while a quillshaft (driveshaft between transmission and final drive unit) snapped during the recovery.

The BARV from HMS Intrepid also became stuck in deep mud and suffered the same quillshaft failure and remained static for the duration of the war.

The name change reflects the fact that, unlike previous generations of vehicle used in this role, Hippos are not fully armored.

As with earlier generations of BARV, the main alteration has been the replacement of the turret with a raised superstructure which, in this case, resembles the bridge or wheelhouse of a small ship.

The original 830-horsepower (620 kW) diesel engine has been retained but the gearing of the transmission had been lowered; this has reduced the vehicle's road speed from 65 to 20 kilometres per hour (40 to 12 mph), but its tractive force has been increased to 250 kilonewtons (56,000 lbf).

Currently, four Hippos are in British service, one each on HMS Albion and Bulwark, with two used by 11 Amphibious Trials and Training Unit Royal Marines.

The vehicle is reportedly well liked by its users, but its lack of commonality with the other armoured vehicles used by the UK has caused spares support problems, exacerbated by the poor nature of the Initial Spares Support package procured from Alvis Moelv by the UK's Defence Procurement Agency.

A Centurion BARV, in private hands, is parked and able to be viewed at the entrance of a farm on Colne Road, Bures Hamlet, Essex, England.

AeroVenture in Doncaster, UK has a Centurion BARV 02 ZR 77 on display as part of its Falklands War Collection.