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DUKW
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The U stands for "utility truck" which
means it was a work truck. The K stands for "front and rear wheel
drive," which means it can drive on rough land. The W stands for
the two rear driving wheels.
The DUKW looks like a boat with 6 wheels. It is amphibious, which means it can go from the water onto the land or from the land onto the water. It has a propeller to help it move through the water. Its speed on water is about 6 miles per hour. On land, its speed is about 50 miles per hour. It is made of steel. It is 31 feet long and 9 feet wide. Its weight is also extraordinary; it weighs two and a half tons! The first time the army used it was to bring troops to Noumea (an island in the Pacific Ocean) in March, 1943. It could carry 25 soldiers or up to 5,000 pounds of equipment and bring them from larger ships on the water right up onto the beach. This really helped because if they did not have it, they would have to unpack on the water. Then they would have to carry all the supplies out of the water onto the land. This would be almost impossible to do while the enemy was shooting at them. |
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