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Construction
Built in October 1940 by the Tokyo Gas Company.
Wartime History
Stationed on Ponape and abandoned near Kolonia on the Eischarts / Adams Property.
Wreckage
After
the war the US Navy took over the land. When military operations
wound
down the Navy stored a lot of vehicles on the land near the tanks.
In 1995 the Adams
Brothers Corporation decided to cut the hillside level and the tanks were exposed and hauled out and put
in
a line.
Restoration
Restored by Stan Gajda over 14 months with all original gear
and with a working main gun. It includes components from other tank wrecks on Tarawa, Kiribati and Nauru. A Nissan 4 cylinder 50 hp diesel engine was installed on January 30, 2002. The tank first ran on February 25, 2002. The project took 18 months to complete, cost about
$5,000 and took 2,000 hours of work. Painted in March, it made a road trip in April 2002.
Today
The tankette is displayed in a shed together with the Type 95 restoration, and occasionally driven. There are no plans to sell any tank parts or export anything.
The Adams want it all to stay on Ponape
References
Thanks to Stan Gajda for additional information.
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Last Updated
October 1, 2009
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