Within the production run, corrections were made to improve engine cooling, but proved only marginally effective. This unusual feature itself, born from a rushed design, will doom the career of the Covenanter. The Meadows was a horizontally opposed 12-cylinder petrol engine, flat, wide, but with no room left for the radiators, which had to be relocated elsewhere, on the front of the vehicle. Outside the Nuffield turret, well sloped, but still riveted, the Meadows engine received a Wilson transmission and the steering of the A16. Indeed, the central superstructure barely emerged over the lower hull, covered by the mudguards, which had a characteristic shape, higher in the middle. Armor was sloped on the front and rear decks, and quite low. LSMR choose a welded hull to save weight, a real improvement over previous designs. On April, 17, 1939, 100 were ordered, straight from the drawing board. The tradition stuck so well that it survived until today\'s British MBTs. "Covenanter" was the name of a XVIIth century Civil War Scottish religious faction, and the "C" became customary for cruisers. The Mark V was the first cruiser to be named. With no previous experience designing tanks, they associated themselves with Nuffield for the turret, and Meadows for the engine. Among other companies, London, Midland and Scottish Railway Company (LSMR) was contacted in order to accustom them to AFV production in case of war. The specification also added that the engine should be capable of a minimal 300 hp output. Quite quickly it was shown that cranked arms and a low profile engine were also necessary. Most importantly the armor was to be uniformly of 30 mm (1.2 in) effective thickness, with sloped plates possibly being thinner. It had to be developed nearly from scratch, with Christie suspensions, a lower hull, the standard QF 2 pounder gun (40 mm/1.57 in), a machine-gun and an epicyclic steering transmission. In 1939, this became the official A13 Mk.III, Cruiser Mark V program. In 1938, the War Office issued a requirement for a new cruiser tank, intended to be a lighter and cheaper version of the Mark III in production. United Kingdom - 1771 built Development history
A13 Mk.III Cruiser Mk.V Covenanter Cruiser tank (1940)
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