Water operations
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Most tanks water operations are limited to fording. The fording
depth is usually limited by the height of the air intake of the
engine, and to a lesser extent the driver's position. Typical
fording depth for MBTs are 90 to 120 cm.
With preparation some tanks are able to ford considerably deep
depths. The West German Leopard I and Leopard II tanks can ford to
a depth of several metres, when properly prepared and equipped with
a snorkel. The Leopard snorkel, is in fact a series of rings which
can be stacked to create a long tube. This tube is then fitted to
the crew commander's hatch and provides air and a possible escape
route for the crew. The height of the tube is limited to around
three meters.
Some Russian/Soviet tanks are also able to perform deep fording
operations, however unlike the Leopard, the Russian snorkel is only
a few inches round and does not provide a crew escape path. Russian
snorkels are also fixed in length, providing only a couple of
metres of depth over the turret height.
This type of fording requires careful preparation of the tank and
the ingress and egress sites on the banks of the water
obstacle.
However if properly planned and executed this type of operation
adds considerable scope for surprise and flexibility in water
crossing operations.
