Michael,
Yes I had spotted that the .30 was protruding too far but opted to add a bit of satire to the subject - oh well, it was worth a try !
Terry,
The interior 'Turret Cradle Lock' does hold the gun at a fixed elevation to relieve the load on the elevation mechanism. There is also a turret traverse lock that engages with the traverse rack on the turret ring to relieve the load on the turret traverse brake on the traverse gearbox. Both these features are operated from inside the turret and so can be easily released if needed.
These features date from the very beginning of Sherman production but it was found quite early on that the external V shaped gun crutch was a much better way to immobilize the gun and turret together during shipping and long advances. There was a way to release the external crutch from inside the tank but it was a bit crude so the original internal locks were retained and gradually made more substantial as Shermans were developed and were intended to be used when there was a possibility of action but a long advance needed to be made.
David
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