M578 Recovery Vehicle, Full Tracked, Light, Armored

The M107 self-propelled 175mm gun and the M110 self-propelled 8in (203mm) howitzer were both characterized by rapid barrel wear and the need to be able to change the barrels frequently and simply. The M578 Light Armored Recovery Vehicle (ARV) was developed to service these requirements using the identical diesel powered chassis. Once in service, the M578 ARV was put to use for varied tasks that it was capable of, including general recovery and crane requirements in addition to barrel replacement.

Find additional photos and hi-res versions of the M578 Light Armored Recovery Vehicle (ARV) at the Olive-Drab Military Mashup:

M578 recovery track with M551 Sheridan tank, Vietnam.

32nd Separate Infantry Brigade (Mechanized), Wisconsin Army National Guard M578 light armored recovery vehicle at Dundalk Marine Terminal, Baltimore, MD after being offloaded from USNS ANTARES (T-AKR 294, during Exercise REFORGER 86. An M35A2 2 1/2 ton cargo truck is being lowered by crane in the background.

The T236 self-propelled firing platform, originally designed for the 8-inch howitzer, was found to be adaptable to other weapons and purposes. The T236 family of field artillery vehicles presently includes five models: The T235 or M107 (175mm gun), T236 or M110 (8 in howitzer), and T245 (155mm gun) weapon carriages and two support vehicles, the T119 and T120 or M578 wreckers. The T245 and T119 were not standardized.

M578 Light Armored Recovery Vehicle. This vehicle was Lot 1024 of The Jacques M. Littlefield Collection, Military Vehicle Technology Foundation, Portola Valley, CA, auctioned 11-12 July 2014 by Auctions America. Courtesy: Auctions America by RM.

The same chassis as the T236 203mm (8-inch) SP artillery was used for the T119 wrecker recovery vehicle, as well as 155mm and 175mm guns. This photo is the T119 circa 1959. In place of the weapon, the turret bearing supporting structure mounts a 10-foot, 10-inch non-extending boom which revolves 360 degrees and has a lifting capacity of 30,000 pounds. The towing winch, mounted on the turret bearing supporting structure, develops a single line pull of 60,000 pounds. The wrecker carries a crew of three men -- the driver, the boom operator, and the rigger. The T119 was standardized as the M578 Recovery Vehicle, Full Tracked, Light, Armored.

3rd MarDiv M107 175mm howitzer, after firing sustained long-range missions against the North Vietnamese for several months, gets a change of barrels at Camp Carroll to ensure continued accuracy in supporting Marine units along the DMZ, Vietnam, 1968. Cranes are M578 Light Recovery Vehicles.

M578 Recovery Vehicle Photo Gallery

M578 Recovery Vehicle, Full Tracked, Light, Armored belonging to the 32nd Separate Infantry Brigade (Mechanized), Wisconsin Army National Guard, photographed at the Dundalk Marine Terminal, Baltimore, MD, 20 February 1986.

M578 Recovery Vehicle, Full Tracked, Light, Armored
M578 Recovery Vehicle with M-551 Sheridan tank, Vietnam.

An M-578 light armored recovery vehicle tows an M-548 Tracked Cargo Carrier during Operation Desert Shield, 1 April 1992.

M578 Recovery Vehicle, Full Tracked, Light, Armored. From TM 43-0001-31, page 8-55.

M578 Recovery Vehicle, Full Tracked, Light, Armored. Photo: Fort Snelling Military Museum.