View source for DUKW

{{Short description|US amphibious transport}}
{{Redirect|Duck boat|tours using amphibious vehicles|Duck tour}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox weapon
| name=DUKW
| image= DUKW.image2.army.jpg
| image_size = 300
| caption= A DUKW in use by American troops
| origin= United States
| type=Amphibious transport
| is_vehicle=yes
<!-- Production history -->
| designer           =
| design_date        =
| manufacturer       = GMC Truck and Coach<br>Chevrolet
| unit_cost          =
| production_date    =1942–1945
| number             = 21,147<ref name="USATM">{{cite web|url=http://www.transchool.eustis.army.mil/Museum/DUKW.htm|title=DUKW|publisher=US Army Transportation Museum |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725043610/http://www.transchool.eustis.army.mil/Museum/DUKW.htm |archive-date= 2008-07-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MuGsf0psjvcC&pg=PA67 |title=The Encyclopedia of Weapons of WWII|last=Bishop |first=Chris |page=67 |year=2002 |publisher=Sterling Publishing Company |isbn=1-58663-762-2 |access-date=2010-03-24}}</ref>
| variants           =
<!-- General specifications -->
| spec_label=Yellow, 1942<ref>{{cite book |ref={{harvid|TM 9-802|1942}} |url=https://archive.org/details/TM9-802/mode/1up |title=TM 9-802 2 1⁄2 ton Amphibian Truck, 6x6, GMC DUKW-353 |date=1942 |access-date=24 Oct 2016 |publisher=US War Dept |pages=8–9}}</ref>{{,}} <ref>{{cite web|url= https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.a0011525615&seq=10 |title= Amphibian Truck, 6x6, GMC DUKW-353 |date=1943-01-01|publisher= 	Washington, D.C. : War Department |access-date=2025-05-03}}</ref>
| weight={{convert|13,600|lb|abbr=on}} empty
| length={{convert|31|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}
| width={{convert|8|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}
| height={{convert|8|ft|10|in|m|2|abbr=on}} with top up<br>{{convert|7|ft|1|in|m|2|abbr=on}} minimum
| payload_capacity={{convert|5,000|lb|abbr=on}} or 24 troops
| primary_armament=Ring mount for .50in (12.7mm) [[M2 Browning machine gun]] fitted to one out of four DUKWs
| secondary_armament=
| armour=
| suspension= Live axles on leaf springs
| speed={{convert|50|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} on road,<br/>{{convert|6.4|mph|kn km/h|abbr=on|0}} in water {{Citation needed|date=June 2018}}
| vehicle_range={{convert|400|mi|abbr=on}} on road
| engine=[[GMC Straight-6 engine#270|GMC Model 270]]
| engine_power={{convert|91|hp|kW|abbr=on}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Doyle|first=David|title=Standard catalog of U.S. Military Vehicles|year=2003|publisher=[[Krause Publications]]|isbn=0-87349-508-X|page=121}}</ref>
| pw_ratio=
| crew=1
}}

The '''DUKW''' (GMC type nomenclature, colloquially known as '''Duck''') is a six-wheel-drive [[amphibious vehicle|amphibious]] modification of the [[GMC CCKW 2½-ton 6×6 truck|GMC CCKW "deuce-and-a-half" 2½-ton truck]]s  used by the U.S. military during [[World War II]] and the [[Korean War]].

Designed by a partnership under military auspices of [[Sparkman & Stephens]] and [[GMC (automobile)|General Motors Corporation]] (GMC), the DUKW was used for the transportation of goods and troops over land and water. Excelling at approaching and crossing beaches in amphibious warfare attacks, it was intended only to last long enough to meet the demands of combat. Surviving DUKWs have since found popularity as tourist craft providing travel across aquatic areas.<ref name=Allen>{{cite magazine |last=Allen |first=Thomas B. |date=August 2002 |title=Odd DUKW: On land and in the water, World War II's amphibian workhorse showed the skeptics a thing or two — now it shows tourists the sights |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/odd-dukw-66979423/ |magazine=[[Smithsonian (magazine)|Smithsonian]] |location= |publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]] |access-date=7 March 2021}}</ref>

==Etymology==
The name '''DUKW''' comes from General Motors Corporation model [[nomenclature]]:<ref>{{cite book|title=Michigan Manufacturer and Financial Record|volume=73|year=1944|publisher=Manufacturer Publishing Co.|page=104}}</ref>

* '''D''', 1942 production series
* '''U''', [[Utility vehicle|Utility]]
* '''K''', [[all wheel drive]]
* '''W''', [[Axle#Structural_features_and_design|tandem rear axles]], both [[Drive wheel|driven]]

Decades later, the designation was [[backronym|explained erroneously]] by writers such as Donald Clarke, who wrote in 1978 that it was an initialism for "Duplex Universal Karrier, Wheeled".<ref>{{cite book|last=Clarke|first=Donald|title=How It Works: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Science and Technology|volume=1|year=1978|publisher=Marshall Cavendish|page=96}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LcidHt4zzDgC&pg=PA109 |page=109 |title=Ironsides: Canadian Armoured Fighting Vehicle Museums and Monuments |last=Skaarup |first=Harold A. |publisher=iUniverse |year=2011 |isbn=978-1462034642}}</ref>

The U.S. Navy-Marine Corps alternative designation of '''LVW''' (Landing Vehicle, Wheeled) was seldom used.<ref name=Friedman2002a>{{cite book|last=Friedman |first=Norman |title=U.S. amphibious ships and craft: an illustrated design history |publisher=Naval Institute Press |year=2002 |series=Illustrated Design Histories |page=101 |isbn=1-55750-250-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oWX-x0b4pw4C&pg=PA218 |access-date=March 22, 2010 }}</ref>

==History==
The DUKW was designed by Rod Stephens Jr. of [[Sparkman & Stephens]], Inc. yacht designers, [[Dennis Puleston]], a British deep-water sailor resident in the U.S., and Frank W. Speir from the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.foils.org/miami.htm |title=Miami Shipbuilding Corporation |publisher=Foils.org |access-date=2013-12-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140816122208/http://www.foils.org/miami.htm |archive-date=2014-08-16 |url-status=dead }}</ref>  Developed by the [[National Defense Research Committee]] and the [[Office of Scientific Research and Development]] to solve the problem of resupply to units which had just performed an amphibious landing, it was initially rejected by the armed services. When a [[United States Coast Guard]] patrol craft ran aground on a sand bar near [[Provincetown, Massachusetts]], an experimental DUKW happened to be in the area for a demonstration. Winds up to {{convert|60|knots}}, rain, and heavy surf prevented conventional craft from rescuing the seven stranded Coast Guardsmen, but the DUKW had no trouble,{{sfnp|Doyle|2003|pp=119}} and military opposition to the DUKW melted. The DUKW later proved its seaworthiness by crossing the [[English Channel]].

The final production design was perfected by a few engineers at Yellow Truck & Coach in Pontiac, Michigan. The vehicle was built by [[Yellow Coach Manufacturing Company|Yellow Truck and Coach Co.]] ([[GMC (automobile)|GMC Truck and Coach Div.]] after 1943) at their [[Pontiac West Assembly|Pontiac West Assembly Plant]] and [[Chevrolet|Chevrolet Div.]] of [[General Motors|General Motors Corp.]] at their [[St. Louis Truck Assembly|St. Louis Truck Assembly Plant]]; 21,147 were manufactured before production ended in 1945.{{sfnp|Doyle|2003|pp=119}}

==Description==
[[File:Aa edencamp dukw.jpg|thumb|left|A DUKW at the [[Eden Camp Museum]] in Yorkshire, England]]
The DUKW was built around the GMC AFKWX, a [[Cab Over Engine|cab-over-engine]] (COE) version of the [[GMC CCKW]] six-wheel-drive military truck, with the addition of a watertight hull and a propeller. It was powered by a {{convert|269.5|cuin|cc|0|abbr=on}} [[GMC Straight-6 engine#270|GMC Model 270]] [[straight-six engine]]. A five-speed overdrive transmission drove a [[transfer case]] to drive the axles, then a two-speed transfer case for the propeller. The propeller and front axle were selectable from their respective transfer cases. A [[power take-off]] on the transmission drove an air-compressor and winch.{{sfnp|TM 9-802|1942|pp=3, 8}} It weighed {{convert|13,000|lb|abbr=on}} empty and operated at up to {{convert|50|mph|km/h}} on road or {{convert|5.5|kn|mph km/h}} on water.<ref name=Friedman2002>{{cite book|last=Friedman |first=Norman |title=U.S. amphibious ships and craft: an illustrated design history |publisher=Naval Institute Press |year=2002 |series=Illustrated Design Histories |page=218 |isbn=1-55750-250-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oWX-x0b4pw4C&pg=PA218 |access-date=March 22, 2010 }}</ref> It was {{convert|31|ft|2}} long, {{convert|8|ft|3|in|m|2}} wide, {{convert|7|ft|2|in|m|2}} high with the folding-canvas top down<ref name=Friedman2002/> and {{convert|8|ft|9|in|m|2}} high with the top up.<ref name="USATM"/>

[[File:FLMM - DUKW 353 aft.jpg|thumb|Rear view of a DUKW preserved at the Fort Lewis Military Museum, Washington. The propeller tunnel, propeller, and rudder can be seen (2009).]]

It was not an armored vehicle, being plated with sheet steel between {{convert|1/16|and|1/8|in|mm}} thick to minimize weight. A high-capacity [[bilge pump]] system kept it afloat if the thin hull was breached by holes up to {{convert|2|in|-1}} in diameter. One in four DUKWs mounted a [[M2 Browning machine gun|{{not a typo|.50-caliber}} Browning heavy machine gun]] on a ring mount.<ref>Fitzsimons, Bernard, general editor. ''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare'' (London: Phoebus, 1978), Vol. 8, p.802, "DUKW".</ref><!--In British service, a Bren is conceivable, but not mentioned.-->

The DUKW was the first vehicle to allow the driver [[Central Tire Inflation System|to vary the tire pressure from inside the cab]]. The tires could be fully inflated for hard surfaces such as roads and less inflated for softer surfaces, especially beach sand.{{sfnp|TM 9-802|1942|pp=8, 24, 35}} This added to its versatility as an amphibious vehicle. This feature is now standard on many military vehicles.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ware|first=Pat|title=The Illustrated Guide to Military Vehicles |year=2014|publisher=Hermes House| isbn=978-1-78214-192-1|pages=105, 114, 179, 244}}</ref>

==Service history==
=== World War II ===

[[File:A British DUKW carries supplies and American paratroopers across the Waal river at Nijmegen, 30 September 1944. B10434.jpg|thumb|A British DUKW carries American airborne troops and supplies across the [[River Waal]] at [[Nijmegen]], 30 September 1944.]]

The DUKW was supplied to the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps and [[Allied landing craft in World War II|Allied forces]], and 2,000 were supplied to Britain under the [[Lend-Lease]] program;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/a-b/battletwo03.html|title=Battle Stations II: The 'Duck'|publisher=Channel 4}}</ref>  535 were acquired by Australian forces,<ref name="dmo2006"/> and 586 were supplied to the Soviet Union, which built its own version, the [[BAV 485]], after the war. <!-- (see [[#Developments|Developments]]).
 -->
DUKWs were initially sent to [[Guadalcanal]] in the [[Pacific Ocean theater of World War II|Pacific theater]], but were used by an invasion force for the first time in the [[European theatre of World War II|European theater]], during the Sicilian invasion, [[Operation Husky]], in the Mediterranean.

They were used on the [[D-Day]] beaches of [[Invasion of Normandy|Normandy]] and in the [[Battle of the Scheldt]], [[Operation Veritable]], and [[Operation Plunder]].

In the Pacific, USMC DUKWs were used to cross the coral reefs of islands such as [[Saipan]] and [[Guam]] and the tires were not affected by the coral.<ref>p. 26 ''The Marines in the Pacific War'' ''The Marine Corps Gazette'', Volume 31 Marine Corps Association, 1947</ref>

Some DUKWs used in WWII were reported to have capsized while landing at [[Omaha Beach]] during the Normandy invasion.<ref name="MurrayMillett2009">{{cite book|author1=Williamson Murray|author2=Allan Reed Millett|title=A War To Be Won: fighting the Second World War|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tdYkMPfUSUAC&pg=PA422|date=30 June 2009|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-04130-1|pages=422–}}</ref><ref name="Collier2002">{{cite book|author=Richard Collier|title=D-Day: June 6, 1944: The Normandy Landings|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qEgOkEydIQgC|date=1 November 2002|publisher=Orion Books Limited|isbn=978-0-297-84346-7}}</ref>

DUKWs were also used in Lake Garda in Italy by the [[10th Mountain Division]] in the final days of the war. One sank while crossing from [[Nago–Torbole|Torbole sul Garda]] to [[Riva del Garda]] on the evening of 30 April 1945, drowning 25 out of the 26 onboard. A documentary about the event, [[The Lost Mountaineers]], premiered in 2023. Two other DUKWs used in operation sank without casualties.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Costello |first1=Joyce |title=Italian volunteers find U.S. Army DUKW 67 years later |url=https://www.army.mil/article/93516/italian_volunteers_find_u_s_army_dukw_67_years_later |website=U.S. Army |access-date=8 February 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Appleby |first1=Ben |title=Mini submarine to survey WWII site at Lake Garda |url=http://www.italianinsider.it/?q=node/7180 |website=Italian Insider}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Lake Garda, Italy October 2018 |url=https://www.promare.org/projects/archive-italy/archive-italy-lake-garda/lake-garda-2018/ |website=Promare|date=2 October 2018 }}</ref>

===After the war===
After World War II, reduced numbers were kept in service by the United States, Britain, France, and Australia, with many stored pending disposal. Australia transferred many to [[Australian Army Reserve|Citizens Military Force]] units.

The U.S. Army reactivated and deployed several hundred at the outbreak of the [[Korean War]] with the 1st Transportation Replacement Training Group providing crew training. DUKWs were used extensively to bring supplies ashore during the [[Battle of Pusan Perimeter]] and in the [[Battle of Incheon|amphibious landings at Incheon]].

Ex-U.S. Army DUKWs were transferred to the French military after World War II and were used by the [[Troupes de marine]] and [[Naval commandos (France)|naval commandos]]. Many were used for general utility duties in [[Overseas departments and territories of France|overseas territories]]. France deployed DUKWs to [[French Indochina]] during the [[First Indochina War]]. Some French DUKWs were given new hulls in the 1970s, with the last being retired in 1982.

Britain deployed DUKWs to Malaya during the [[Malayan Emergency]] of 1948–60. Many were redeployed to [[Borneo]] during the [[Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation]] of 1962–66.

===Later military use===
The [[Royal Marines]] used five of these vehicles for training at 11 (Amphibious Trials and Training) Squadron, 1 Assault Group Royal Marines at [[Instow]], North Devon. Four were manufactured between 1943 and 1945. The fifth is a DUKW hull copy manufactured in 1993 with unused World War II-vintage running gear parts.<ref name="janes">{{cite web |url=http://articles.janes.com/articles/jdu99/UK-DUKWS-REFURBISHED-FOR-ROYAL-MARINES.html |title=UK DUKWS Refurbished for Royal Marines, Upgrade Update |date=30 July 1999 |work=Jane's International Defence Review |publisher=Jane's Information Group |access-date=31 August 2012 |archive-date=27 January 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130127054957/http://articles.janes.com/articles/jdu99/UK-DUKWS-REFURBISHED-FOR-ROYAL-MARINES.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1999, a refurbishment programme began to extend their service life to 2014.<ref name="janes" /> DUKWs were removed from service in 2012.

The DUKWs were used for safety, allowing all ranks to undertake training drills for boat work for the landing craft ranks, and drivers undertaking wading drills from the [[Landing Craft Utility]].

===Principal military users===
{{div col|colwidth=20em|small=yes}}
*{{flagicon|USA}} United States
*{{flagicon|AUS}} Australia&nbsp;– 535<ref name="dmo2006"/>
*{{flagicon|ARG}} Argentina
*{{flagicon|BRA}} Brazil
*{{flagicon|CAN}} Canada&nbsp;– about 800
*{{flagicon|DOM}} Dominican Republic
*{{flagicon|FRA}} France
*{{flagicon|PHI}} Philippines
*{{flagicon|IRQ}} Iraq
*{{flagicon|USSR}} Soviet Union&nbsp;– 586
*{{flagicon|GBR}} United Kingdom&nbsp;– about 2,000
{{Div col end}}

==Developments==
[[File:DUKW-353_USArmyTransportationMuseum_DSCN7534.JPG|thumb|Superduck prototype]]
In the latter 1940s and throughout the 1950s, while Speir, now project engineer for the Army's Amphibious Warfare Program, worked on "bigger and better" amphibious vehicles such as the "Super Duck", the "Drake", and the mammoth [[LARC-LX|BARC]] (Barge, Amphibious, Resupply, Cargo), many DUKWs were made surplus and used as rescue vehicles by fire departments and Coast Guard stations.

In 1952, the Soviet Union produced a derivative, the [[BAV 485]], adding a rear loading ramp.  The [[ZiL|Zavod imeni Stalina]] factory built it on the structure of its ZiS-151 truck, and production continued until 1962, with over 2,000 units delivered.

==Civilian use==
[[Image:mobyduck.jpg|right|thumb|The "Moby Duck" at a parade in Seattle (2006)]]

Many were used after WWII by civilian organizations such as the police, fire departments, and rescue units. DUKWs were used for oceanographic research in Northern California, as related by participant [[Willard Bascom]]. Drivers learned that DUKWS were capable of surfing large winter Pacific waves, with care (and luck).<ref>Willard Bascom, ''The Crest of the Wave: Adventures in Oceanography'' (1988), {{ISBN|0-385-26633-2}}. Book includes photo of a DUKW surfing.</ref>

The Australian Army lent two DUKWs and crew to [[Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions]] for a 1948 expedition to [[Macquarie Island]]. Australian DUKWs were used on Antarctic supply voyages until 1970.<ref name="dmo2006">{{cite web|url=http://www.defence.gov.au/dmo/news/ontarget/nov06/rw.cfm |title=Remember when&nbsp;... we sent amphibious trucks to the Antarctic? |publisher=Defence Materiel Organisation |date=November 2006 |access-date=2008-10-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201193633/http://www.defence.gov.au/dmo/news/ontarget/nov06/rw.cfm |archive-date=2008-12-01 }}</ref> From 1945 to 1965, the Australian Commonwealth Lighthouse Service supply ship ''Cape York'' carried ex-Army DUKWs for supplying [[lighthouse]]s on remote islands.<ref>{{citation|title=Cape Rochon – An Island Light|last=Johnson|first=Erika|publisher=Lighthouses of Australia Bulletin|volume=9|number=2|year=2006}}</ref>

One DUKW is in use by the [[Technisches Hilfswerk]] (THW) of [[Germersheim]] in [[Germany]],  a [[Emergency management|civil protection]] organisation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thw-germersheim.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=230&Itemid=121 |title=Ortsverband Gemersheim |publisher=Thw-germersheim.de |access-date=2013-12-27}}</ref>

==Tourist attractions==
{{Main|Duck tour}}

DUKWs are still in use as [[tourism|tourist]] transport in harbor and river cities across the globe. The first "duck tour" company was started in 1946<ref name=Wisconsin>{{cite web |url=http://www.wisconsinducktours.com/about-us/history/timeline |title=Timeline |publisher=Original Wisconsin Ducks |access-date=2014-01-15 |archive-date=27 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227092254/http://www.wisconsinducktours.com/about-us/history/timeline |url-status=dead }}</ref> by Mel Flath in [[Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin]]. The company is still in operation under the name Original Wisconsin Ducks.<ref name=Wisconsin/>

==See also==
<!-- Please keep entries in alphabetical order & add a short description [[WP:SEEALSO]] -->
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Ford GPA]], four-wheel amphibious jeep
* [[GAZ-46]]
* [[LARC-V]]
* [[Landing Vehicle Tracked]], tracked supply and combat amphibious vehicle
* [[List of U.S. military vehicles by supply catalog designation]]
* ''[[Landwasserschlepper]]''
* [[PTS (amphibious vehicle)|PTS]]
* [[Su-Ki]], a Japanese equivalent vehicle
* [[Terrapin (amphibious vehicle)]], a British equivalent vehicle
* [[BAV 485|ZiS-485]]
{{Div col end}}
<!-- please keep entries in alphabetical order -->

==References==
{{Reflist}}

=== Technical manuals ===
* {{cite book|title=TM 9-1802A Ordnance Maintenance Power Plant for 2 1⁄2-Ton Truck 6 x 6 (GMC)|publisher=United States Department of War|date=July 1943}}
* {{cite book|title=TM 9-1802B Ordnance Maintenance Power Plant for 2 1⁄2-Ton Amphibian Truck, 6 x 6 (GMC DUKW-353)|publisher=United States Department of War|date=November 1943}}
* {{cite book|title=TM 9-1802C Ordnance Maintenance Hull and Water Drive for 2 1⁄2-Ton 6 x 6 Amphibian Truck, (GMC DUKW-353)|publisher=United States Department of War|date=December 1943}}
* {{cite book|url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/188375301/TM-9-2800-1947|title=TM 9-2800 Military Vehicles|publisher=US Dept. of the Army|date=27 Oct 1947|page=321|access-date=24 Oct 2016}}
* TM 9-1825A{{Clarify|date=October 2009}}
* TM 9-1826C{{Clarify|date=October 2009}}
* TM 9-1827B{{Clarify|date=October 2009}}
* TM 9-1827C{{Clarify|date=October 2009}}
* TM 9-1828A{{Clarify|date=October 2009}}
* TM 9-1829A{{Clarify|date=October 2009}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* [http://members.aol.com/twodukw/twodukw.htm Marine Corps DUKWs in World War II]
* [http://www.sparkmanstephens.com/ Sparkman & Stephens]: the company at which Rod Stephens Jr., one of the DUKW's designers, worked (see also [https://web.archive.org/web/20060908162740/http://www.sparkmanstephens.com/gallery/dukw_pic.html this photo] with explanatory caption, on the S&S site)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071128092021/http://pages.prodigy.net/deanspeir/dukws%26lace.html Lace and DUKWs&nbsp;... both part of the Speir Family legacy], several photos, statistics, and a few details of Speir's tire inflation system from his son Dean Speir
* [http://cgsc.cdmhost.com/u?/p4013coll9,397 DUKW: its operation and uses]

{{WWII US Soft Vehicles}}
{{Sparkman & Stephens}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dukw}}
[[Category:Amphibious military vehicles]]
[[Category:Amphibious vehicles of World War II]]
[[Category:GMC vehicles]]
[[Category:Landing craft]]
[[Category:Military vehicles introduced from 1940 to 1944]]
[[Category:Motor vehicles manufactured in the United States]]
[[Category:Soft-skinned vehicles]]
[[Category:Vehicles introduced in 1942]]
[[Category:Wheeled amphibious vehicles]]
[[Category:World War II military vehicles]]
[[Category:World War II vehicles of Australia]]
[[Category:World War II vehicles of the United States]]