DUKW Variants
Coast Guard DUKWs
In 1948 the Coast Guard constructed additional DUKWs at the Coast Guard Yard. These had aluminum bodies and incorporated the experience learned from using the Army model. DUKWs were especially useful in flood relief but all suffered from high maintenance costs, rapid deterioration due to salt water, and a lack of watertight subdivisions. Nevertheless some remained in service as late as 1970.
XM147 DUKW "Super Duck"
The XM147 DUKW "Super Duck" was an Army amphibious vehicle built in a two-year period and tested at Aberdeen Proving Ground from 1956 to 1957. The Super DUKW handled like a truck that could swim. The Army needed a vehicle that handled like a boat in the water and truck on land. In 1953 the prototype XM-147 superdukw with a 145 hp engine began testing. The Super DUKW was based upon the post WW2 M135/211 GMC automatic power train. It could carry 4 tons of cargo. with a speed of 50 miles on road and 7,5 miles on the water. It had an all metal cab with sliding side windows and 15.50 X 20 tires. The Super DUCW had problems with breaks, steering and engine cooling system. The shape under water made that the water speed did not match the engine power. Made by General Motors, it was in service from 1953 through 1980.
XM158 Drake
The XM158 Drake was an 8 ton 8 wheel truck with an aluminium hull and 2 husky engines. It was intended to be the successor to be for the Dukw, but only a handful of prototypes were built by GM, the first in 1956. It was 42 feet long and 10 feet wide. The right engine drove on hard suface the second and forth axle. On soft ground the left engine is also switched on and that drives the first and third axle. There were 12 forward gears and a torque converters on each engine. It did 45 mph on land and 7 knots in water. In the water each engine drove a propeller that ascended and decended by two air lift cylinders.
LVHX-l / LVHX-2
Halobates are a genus of 5 open ocean species of water striders that inhabit warm oceans around the world. Halobates is the only insect genus with representatives in the open ocean. Halobates was the name given to a hydrofoil designed and completed in 1957 by the Miami Shipbuilding Corp. for the US Marine Corps, which wanted to increase the speed of approach for beach landings.
Adapting data from Halobates, including its autopilot, and using a Lycoming T-53 gas turbine for main propulsion, a flying DUKW was designed, and successful demonstration trials were conducted in Miami waters. Speeds in excess of 30 kt were demonstrated (compared with the 5 kt of the conventional DUKW).
Lycoming Division of AVCO built the LVHX-l based on the hydrofoil principals demonstrated in MSC s Flying DUKW design. Also, Food Machinery Corp. (FMC) built LVHX-2 using surface-piercing foils. These are called land vehicle hydrofoil or LVHX-1 and 2 were designed for use on land as well as water. Both vehicles were built with the same requirements with aluminum hulls 38 feet long and the capability of carrying a 5-ton payload at speeds of 35 knots. The difference between the two is the LVHX-1 has a submerged foil system, and the LVHX-2 employed surface-piercing foils forward with a single submerged foil aft. During the trial program it became clear that the complexities and costs of such features, a foil retraction and high speed gas turbine propulsion presented too great a penalty to pay for the increased water speed. As a result, further pursuit of the hydrofoil landing craft was terminated. They also had problems with the tires and that's why it was a failed project.
Amphibious Passenger Vessels
DUKWs continue to be used in civilian rescue, private collections, and public tour operations. It is estimated that fewer than a thousand exist today in North America. There is very few of the original components incorporated in the DUKWs as built today. None of the existing drive train, suspension, tires, wheels, axle housings, any of that is of the original DUKW configuration.
Amphibious Passenger Vessels carry more than 1 million tourists a year nationwide. These vessels were originally built for land and sea military logistical purposes. Today's family of tour amphibians includes conversions of the World War II DUKW, the 1960s LARC, and the British Alvis Stalwart. Tour excursions on land and water in one vehicle have become a popular tourist attraction in the United States.
True to their original design during World War II, Ducks that are in service today operate on both land and water. These vehicles usually transport passengers as part of a tourist excursion and are in service in more that 16 states. Like other watercraft the amphibious vessels are required to be inspected. Ducks operating on federal waters that carry more than six passengers are regulated and inspected by the Coast Guard. Those operating on waters under state supervision fall under the jurisdiction of the state. Preliminary analysis of Coast Guard marine casualty data from 1992 through 1998 of DUKW-type vessels reveals a solid safety record.
There are about 20 of the DUKW operating companies throughout the United States. And also four each of the British Alvis Stalwarts and the LARC companies. There are about 225 of the DUKW's that are operating. And as far as the LARC's, there are probably about 20, and the British Alvis Stalwart's, there are about 4 in operation. A lot of these amphibious passenger vessels now today, are being replaced by the use of a helicopter, and the air cushioned landing craft.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
