Beach armoured recovery vehicle A beach armoured recovery vehicle ( BARV ) is an armoured recovery vehicle used for amphibious landings . There have been three different BARVs in British service since their introduction during World War II . They have also been used by Dutch and Australian forces . Sherman BARV . The original BARV was a Sherman M4A2 tank which had been waterproofed and had the turret replaced by a tall armoured superstructure . Around 60 were deployed on the invasion beaches during the Battle of Normandy . Able to operate in 9 - 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 . They were also used to re - float small landing craft that had become stuck on the beach . Unusually for a tank , the crew included a diver whose job was to attach towing chains to stuck vehicles . The vehicles were developed and operated by the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers . The Sherman M4A2 model was chosen as a basis for the BARV as it was thought that the Sherman ' s welded hull would be easier to waterproof than other tanks . 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 . A few Sherman BARV ' s continued to be used until 1963 , when they were replaced by a vehicle based on the Centurion tank . In England , the REME Museum of Technology in Arborfield and the D - Day Museum in Portsmouth both have Sherman BARVs on display . Another , in running condition , is held by the " War and Peace Collection " , a private military collection in the UK . The wrecked hulk of another is at Bovington Tank Museum , after being used as a firing range target . Another Sherman BARV is a museum - piece in India , at the Armoured Corps Museum in Ahmednagar Fort , Ahmednagar . M3 BARV . A single M3A5 Grant tank was converted into a BARV in 1950 by the Australian Army . This remained in service until 1970 and is preserved at the Royal Australian Armoured Corps Tank Museum at Puckapunyal , Australia . The museum also has a second BARV that was based on a bulldozer . Centurion BARV . The Centurion BARV FV 4018 was the replacement for the Sherman . Twelve were originally built for use by the Royal Marines . It had a crew of four ; two of the crew were members of the Royal Engineers , one of whom was a qualified diver . The Centurion BARV ' s were built to provide the essential role for the LPD ' s HMS " Fearless " & HMS " Intrepid " as part of the Beach Assault Squadrons . The Assault Squadrons were initially a mix of Royal Marines and Army serving aboard the ships . The transition to this being all Royal Marines was seen to be essential . The crew for the BARV ' s would be handed to the Royal Marines with a sergeant , two corporals and marine all qualified vehicle mechanics , responsible for driving and maintaining the tank . The training for the crew would take place at Bovington for driver training and at the home of the BARV , Instow in North Devon , the Royal Marines amphibious testing centre . The Centurion BARV was basically a Centurion body with built up sides to accommodate wading in water up to 11 feet . The design was functional yet crude with sloped armour built above the tank hull . The tracks for the BARV were reversed so they had better grip biting in reverse . The Centurion tank used the Rolls - Royce Meteor engine , a 27 , 000cc petrol power plant which was derived from the Merlin engine used in aircraft . There were many occasions when the BARV would break down or get stuck . In 1981 the BARV from " Fearless " was to be lost at sea off Browndown beach to end up fully submerged . The following year both BARVs would see service during the Falklands War , being the largest land vehicles ashore , with the BARV from " Fearless " breaking its drive chain whilst working Blue Beach and spending most of the war not turning a cog . All the Centurion - derived BARV ' s have now left service and have been sold to collectors and museums around the world . Centurion BARVs are on display at the Bovington Tank Museum ( UK ) , at Yad La - Shiryon - the IDF tank museum - and at the " IDF History Museum ( Batey ha - Osef ) " ( Tel - Aviv , Israel ) . AeroVenture in Doncaster , UK has a Centurion BARV on display as part of its Falklands War Collection . This is one of the first Centurions built being part of the first contract built , from 1944 – 46 , exact date of build unknown except for between these dates . This is BARV 02 ZR 77 and is the longest serving armoured vehicle in the British forces , leaving service in 2005 after taking part in both Gulf conflicts . BARV on display in Doncaster UK . This was one of the BARVs that supported the landings at San Carlos from HMS Fearless . Hippo BRV . In 2003 , the Centurion BARV ' s replacement was introduced . This is the Hippo BRV , which had been in development under the project name of " Future Beach Recovery Vehicle " ( FBRV ) . The Hippo is a conversion by Alvis Moelv of a Leopard 1A5 tank . The incorporation of Alvis Vickers into BAE Systems meant that elements of the work moved to BAE Land Systems , Sweden , formerly known as " Hägglunds " , another ex - Alvis company . 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 hp ( 634 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 km / h ( 40 mph ) to 32 km / h ( 20 mph ) , but its tractive force has been increased to 250 kN ( 56 , 000 lbf ) . Other modifications include the addition of working platforms , a nosing block , raised air intakes and an auxiliary power unit ; this has raised the weight of the vehicle from 42 . 5 tonnes to 50 tonnes . The Hippo has a fording depth of 2 . 95 m ( 9 ft 8 in ) and can pull vehicles up to 50 tonnes weight or push off from the beach a 240 tonne displacement landing craft . Currently , four Hippos are in British service , one each on HMS " Albion " and " Bulwark " , with two used by 11 ( Amphibious Trials and Training ) Squadron of the 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 . This area is being tackled by the MoD ' s Defence Logistics Organisation . The Netherlands Marine Corps operates four similar Dutch Leopard 1V - based BRV vehicles known as " Hercules " , " Samson " , " Goliath " and " Titan " which operate out of the Royal Netherlands Navy assault ships of the " Rotterdam " class . The vehicles have a similar specification but a different cabin appearance . They too replaced Centurion BARVs .