DUKWs

[buoyant3]

Check out the the new file "DUKWs" we posted, it shows some scanned
post cards from our DUKWs ride Sunday afternoon in the Wisconsin
Dells. Yes, we took our Amphicar and chased them around again. We
talked our driver into going in fast. What a splash they
make!!!!!!!!!!!!! The only problem is that the water comes up and
over the back end and the non-webbed-toed folks didn't find it as
cool as we did. Our photos later.
Marty & Caryl
BUOYANT

 

[Ken Chambers]

Hi all,

This month's Smithsonian magazine (Aug 2002) features a four page article on
"the other" amphibious vehicle. The article discusses its development,
production and accomplishments in WWII. Interesting that the "Skunk works" team
took only 42 days to make the prototype. Eisenhower called the DUKW "one of the
most valuable pieces of equipment produced by the United States during the war".
Quite a few built at 21,147 units. Less than 1000 are thought to be in the U.S.
today. In the 1990s more than a million tourists a year rode in 225 DUKWs at
various amusement locations around the country. The letters in DUKW are
military jargon for something I can't
quite remember. Something like month or year of production, amphibious, front
(or all) wheel drive and one more thing. Hey, I can't remember everything I
read at the doctor's office. Anyone else see the article?

Thought you'd like to know.

Ken Chambers, CA
'64 Red Amphi

 

[Ed Price]

Ken:


The DUKW is fundamentally a GM 6x6 truck, sometimes called the "deuce and a
half" for it's 2.5 -ton payload capacity. A DUKW weighs about 15,000 pounds, is
31 feet long, and was powered by a 270 cubic inch, in-line 6 cylinder gas
engine. It has a single propeller, and can remotely inflate or deflate its tire
pressures.

In our Army's inscrutable way of creating nomenclature:

D stands for the year of introduction, 1942
U stands for utility truck
K stands for front-wheel drive
W stands for dual rear-wheel drive

Here is a DUKW site:

http://www.netcomuk.co.uk/~jrcoles/dukpics.html
http://my.voyager.net/~dukw/dukw350.htm


Ed



----- Original Message -----
From: Ken Chambers
To: amphicar-lovers@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, August 14, 2002 1:01 AM
Subject: [amphicar-lovers] DUKWs


Hi all,

This month's Smithsonian magazine (Aug 2002) features a four page article on
"the other" amphibious vehicle. The article discusses its development,
production and accomplishments in WWII. Interesting that the "Skunk works" team
took only 42 days to make the prototype. Eisenhower called the DUKW "one of the
most valuable pieces of equipment produced by the United States during the war".
Quite a few built at 21,147 units. Less than 1000 are thought to be in the U.S.
today. In the 1990s more than a million tourists a year rode in 225 DUKWs at
various amusement locations around the country. The letters in DUKW are
military jargon for something I can't
quite remember. Something like month or year of production, amphibious, front
(or all) wheel drive and one more thing. Hey, I can't remember everything I
read at the doctor's office. Anyone else see the article?

Thought you'd like to know.

Ken Chambers, CA
'64 Red Amphi



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

 

[wick68355@aol.com]

It you ever get to Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Dells has the largest collection
of DUCKS in the world. They tour the Wisconsin River below the dam and go in
and out of the water several times. Wisconsin Dells is the states largest
family vacation spot with dozens of water parks, amusement parks and hotels.
Give it a try some summer.
Tim Wick