Today in WW II: 8 Jul 1940 Tea rationing begins in Britain.  More ↓
8 Jul 1941 Jews living under German occupation in Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania ordered to wear a Jewish Star.
8 Jul 1942 US Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Chester Nimitz orders invasion of Guadalcanal, Solomon islands, to seize a strategic Japanese airfield.
8 Jul 1944 US forces on Saipan mop up after surviving a 15-hour banzai charge, one of the largest ever, defesting over 3000 Japanese soldiers plus wounded and civilians who participated.
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Rough Terrain Container Crane (RTCC)

The Rough Terrain Container Crane (RTCC) is a wheel-mounted crane which serves as a container handler. RTCC is a nondevelopmental item that is a military unique integration of commercial components. It was manufactured by Grove Worldwide, Shady Grove, PA, as Model RT875CC. Over 300 RTCCs were procured by the U.S. Army U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) from 1987 through the mid-2000s. The RTCC is NSN 3810-01-205-2716.

The 40 ton RTCC has a hydraulically operated, full 360° revolving, telescoping boom, designed to support 20 and 40 foot containers, using spreader bars, during intermodal operations. RTCC is authorized in Ordnance and Transportation units. General support (GS) ammunition units, located in theater and corps ammunition storage areas, use the RTCC to load or trans-ship 20-foot ANSI/ISO containers from one mode of transportation to another. Transportation units use the RTCC to augment the 50,000-pound Rough Terrain Container Handler (RTCH) in the transfer and handling of 20-, 35-, or 40-foot containers and other cargo between transportation modes and in storage areas.

Rough Terrain Container Crane can be operated on hard surfaces or on soft surfaces when using wooden platform sections to distribute the weight. It has all wheel drive and 29.5x25, 28 ply tires for off road capability.

The RTCC diesel engine provides drive power for the hydraulic pumps and also drives a compressor and an alternator which supply air and electrical power for control, accessory and lighting systems. The engine also provides power to the axles through a remote mounted, six-speed (forward and reverse) Clark transmission and torque converter to drive the crane. Planetary drive axles provide four-wheel drive. Axle steering is accomplished through hydraulic steer cylinders. The carrier frame features an integral fifth wheel, to which the rear axle is mounted, to allow the axle to pivot.

Rough Terrain Container Crane (RTCC) Characteristics

Length 46.3 ft (14.1 m)
Width 144 in. (365.76 cm)
Height 156.75 in. (398.15 cm)
Wheelbase 170 inches
Weight 95,260 lbs
Capacity 44,800 lbs at 27 foot radius
67,200 lbs at 22 foot radius
80,000 lbs at 10 foot radius
Transportable Rail, highway by heavy transporter, marine. Not air transportable
Mobility Highway or cross-country
Road Speed 18 mph
Engine Cummins Model 6CTA8.3 250hp 6 cyl OHV, diesel
Transmission Clark R28661, 6 spd fwd, 1 rev
Axles Rockwell PSC 1794
Brakes Rockwell Air KDA-20004

Manuals for the RTCC are numbered TM 5-3810-306-xx where the xx represents the maintenance level. These manuals replace manuals produced by Grove, supplied until 1993. See also FM 55-80 Army Container Operations.

Rough Terrain Container Crane (RTCC)
Rough Terrain Container Crane (RTCC).

Rough Terrain Container Crane (RTCC)
Rough Terrain Container Crane (RTCC).

Rough Terrain Container Crane (RTCC) on commercial transport trailer, near Cleburne, TX, 14 March 2006. Photo: Courtesy of Bob Pettit
Rough Terrain Container Crane (RTCC) on commercial transport trailer, near Cleburne, TX, 14 March 2006. Photo: Courtesy of Bob Pettit.