XM-147, 'Super DUKW'

XM-147, 'Super DUKW'. . , By mid-April of 1942, the American military saw the need for an amphibious vehicle that could transport supplies and men over both land and water quickly during a seaborne invasion. This desire for creating a "truck that can swim" was taken up by the General Motors Corporation, whose engineers began work on a modification of the standard GMC CCKW truck. A watertight hull and propeller system was developed and within thirty eight days of initial mockup the first prototype rolled out of the factory.

The DUKW began delivery to the military in November of 1942 and it served well in most theaters of the war. In the late 1940s, the Army began an effort to revitalize its fleet of wheeled vehicles that had been left over from world war two. One of those vehicles chosen to be replaced was the DUKW. New designs for an amphibious vehicle were already on the board at the start of the war in Korea and the fighting hastened this development. The Army wanted an improved vehicle capable of carrying more cargo from ship to shore. They also desired a vehicle that was easier to load and unload and that could easily maneuver through mud.

Two vehicles, the XM-147 and LARC, were tested at the same time. The Ordnance Department, remembering World War II, simply added a boat hull to the frame of a post war M135 truck. The result was called the XM-147 'Super DUKW,' initial tests in 1953 and 1954 proved that the XM-147 could carry four tons of cargo and was superior to the original DUKW in all ways. Additional modifications were made and in 1958 the Ordnance Department recommended the XM-147 for production. The vehicle served in limited numbers until 1963 when it was replaced by the LARC. The LARC could carry more cargo and was easier to load and unload, so the Army selected the LARK as their new amphibian.