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4wd.sofcom.com/Mil/LandRover/FC101.html Tail End Charlie (TEC), out of 4 x 101s, here in '98. |
A Joint Services Expedition crossed the Sahara from West (Dakar) to East (c) 4wd.sofcom.com --> (the Red Sea) in 1975. They used four of the then new 101 forward control Land Rovers, two having prototype Rubery Owen powered trailers.
The objectives were: To make the first crossing from the Atlantic to the Red Sea through the Mauritania - Mali empty quarter, mapping the expedition's progress. To make a gravity measurement survey along the route for the Royal Society. To collect rock, lizard and snail examples (the latter with respect to Bilharzia especially) for the British Natural History Museum. To experiment (c) 4wd.sofcom.com --> with new methods of desert navigation. To provide a test for the new 101 Land Rovers. The expedition was led by Squadron Leader T. H. Sheppard. Sheppard wrote a detailed report after the expedition, copies of which are sometimes "passed around" between 101 and Land Rover enthusiasts. A film was also produced, and shown on television.
The expedition unloaded at Dakar (Senegal) on 24 January 1975. The planned route led north to Nouakcott (Mauritania) then east through Atar, Ouadane, and Tessalit (Mali) to Tamanrassat (Algeria), Agadez (Niger) and Kano (Nigeria). However permission to enter Algeria was not forthcoming so, from Tessalit, the expedition headed south to Niamey (Niger). Niamey (Nigeria) and Kano. From here it passed through Fotokol (Cameroun), Ndjamena ~Fort Lamy (Chad), Abeche, Chad --> El Geneina (Sudan) and El Fasher. Then N and NE on rough tracks to the Nile (4 April). Here the route turned SE to reach the Red Sea via Atbara to Port Sudan (16 April). The home run led north then inland to Bir Shalatein (Egypt) and Cairo (2 May).
The four wheel drives performed well in general throughout the trip although there were numerous minor faults: hub oil-seal leaks, differential nose oil-seal leak, swivel pin oil-seal leaks, a split pipe to an oil cooler. (Anyone who has owned a series Land Rover will probably identify with these difficulties and may wonder if these were really faults as such or more in the nature of design "features".) One Land Rover experienced a broken spring leaf which was repaired. On the other hand, the vehicles' ability in sand is greatly praised in Sheppard's report. The biggest problems were with the two powered trailers and it was pointed out that their being well-used prototypes may have been a contributing factor: The load beds were too light and distorted, planks being used to spread the load; the trailer transmissions vibrated and made alarming noises that could not be diagnosed even after extensive work so that 6x6 was only used at slow speed in soft going and then with some trepidation. Both trailers experienced suspension and brake problems and one had to be abandoned (16 April) when a spring broke.
Sun compasses, as developed by the WWII Long Range Desert Group, were used for navigation while driving. A mirror was also used to reflect the sun onto the ground ahead of the vehicle in featureless sandy areas to give the eye something to track and to give warning of sudden rises or drops. A paracommander parachute was trialled in parascending mode, towed behind a Land Rover, so that an observer could gain a view of dune fields to help in plotting a route, but its use depended on a "favourable wind direction." Overall 12,054km were covered, much of it on rough tracks, some of it across completely trackless areas.
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