VEHICLE SNORKEL

Military wheeled vehicles, like Jeeps, are capable of mounting snorkels for the air intake and engine exhaust, to allow them to wade through relatively deep water, limited by the height of the driver's head. In the case of a Jeep, all of the engine openings and wiring are sealed, and the driver must first operate a damper that over-pressures the engine vacuum, to prevent water from entering. After fording, the vehicle's wheel bearings must be repacked by a mechanic.
Such snorkelling equipment is available as an aftermarket accessory for some four wheel drive vehicles. The snorkel is typically routed out through one of the front wings and up beside the "A" pillar to the level of the roofline where it is terminated with either a mushroom intake or a forward-facing intake.

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Deep-wading tanks

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Deep-wading tanks

Deep-wading equipment for armoured fighting vehicles was developed in the Second World War, to allow them to come ashore and support infantry during an amphibious landing.
During the planning of the proposed invasion of Britain in 1940 (Operation Sealion), the Germans developed the Tauchpanzers, modified Panzer III and IV tanks, to be dropped from a landing craft around 1,500 metres (1 mi) offshore. A rubber hose supplied the engine and crew with air and allowed the waterproofed tanks to drive on the seabed up to fifteen metres (50 ft) deep, making it an extreme example of a wading tank. Some were used by the 18th Panzer Regiment during River Bug crossing in Operation Barbarossa.
The German Tiger I tank, too heavy to be supported by many bridges, was designed to ford four-metre deep water. This required unusual mechanisms for ventilation and cooling. Submersion required about thirty minutes of preparation. The turret and gun had to be locked in the forward position so they could be sealed.
The Allies fixed extended trunking to their tanks to allow them to come ashore in a few metres of water—no more than the height of the tank. British Churchill tanks were so equipped for the Dieppe Raid, and U.S. Forces used similar equipment for tanks, tank destroyers, and wheeled vehicles. The swimming Duplex Drive tanks were also used in the D-Day landings.
Many modern tanks and other heavy armoured fighting vehicles have snorkel equipment for wading across rivers up to about five metres deep (many lighter vehicles can swim). Deep-wading operations are very dangerous, and not normally attempted unless there is no alternative.
Western tanks' wading snorkels usually include a wide tube attached to the commander's hatch on the turret. In case the tank stalls under water, the crew can escape through a ladder inside the snorkel. The snorkelling equipment is bulky, and only issued to tank crews when needed. Soviet/CIS forces use such equipment only as a training snorkel. In the field, each tank is normally equipped with two narrow snorkels, and the tank crew is issued with rebreathing respirators, in case of emergency.
Wading operations are only attempted where a shallow river bank approach and bottom have been reconnoitred and prepared in advance by engineers. Tanks under water are somewhat buoyant, and tend to turn wildly. Each tank's snorkel has a flag affixed, and the tank company commander remains on the river bank to give navigation orders to each crew as they traverse the river. In the case of the Soviet T-72, a stalled engine means loss of over-pressure, and a quickly flooding engine compartment (and subsequently the crew compartment). Underwater escape is extremely hazardous, and crews have been known to panic and drown during training.

References