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DUKW Amphibious Vehicle

 

DUCK. U.S. Navy name for the J2F; U.S. Army nickname for the DUKW (see J2F; DUCW).

DUCKW. U.S. Army conventional vehicle description codes gave this amphibious truck its name;

D (1942); U (amphibian); K (all-wheel drive); W (dual rear axles).

 
 
Built on a 2 1/2 -ton 6 x 6 truck chassis, the 7-ton DUKW could transport 25 men on land or 50 while afloat, or 5,000 pounds of general cargo. The first editions saw action in the invasion of Sicily and Italy in 1943, and 21,000 had been manufactured by the end of the war. They were mostly used as major items of equipment in amphibious truck companies. The DUKW could make 5 1/2 knots in a moderate sea; on land this six-wheeled vehicle could reach 50 miles per hour. Its name and it nature combined to make "duck" an inevitable nickname.
 
 
 
   
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