Proving its Seaworthiness
How can one know one’s limits if not tested, amirite? I’d like to think Stephens thought the same, too, because in a last-ditch effort to keep the DUKW project afloat—to prove to the military that the Duck has what it takes to be in combat—he asked to demonstrate and test its capabilities in a series of trials located off the New England coast.
By a stroke of luck, a violent storm hit the area days before the trials commenced that wrecked a coast guard vessel on a sandbar offshore. The incident may have been unfortunate for the stranded crew, but it was the opportunity Duck needed to prove its seaworthiness. When all rescue attempts failed, the DUKW was given a chance to save the stranded men, surprising everyone that it actually did. All seven of the crew were rescued hours before the wreck vanished.
Senior military chiefs who initially snubbed the amphibious vehicle now wanted to commission it; even then-president Franklin D. Roosevelt was impressed. And Stephens couldn’t be happier. The once thought ugly duckling, previously expected to become either a lame duck, a sitting duck, or a dead duck, finally received the spotlight it deserved. Additional vehicle production ensued, increasing the stocks to over 2,000.
“Quack” Corp Assemble
Soon after the DUKW was commissioned into the US Marine Corp, special operating companies were formed, dubbed the “Quack Corp,” which led to confusion in the ranks. I would, too, because what the heck are ducks doing in the corp?
The unit would be designated and responsible for operating, manning, and maintaining the amphibious vehicle, spending five weeks training before it was shipped to war to ensure that the drivers and the assisting crew would be as versatile as the DUKW.
While in training, the Marines learned and familiarized the ropes around operating the vehicle, including its gadgets and emergency toolkit—did you know it can haul itself out if stuck on sand without towing? Pretty cool, right? Throughout the training, they also discovered weaknesses that were quickly resolved. The tires needed a specific amount of pressure for different types of surfaces. At first, a crew had to make manual adjustments, but it was soon upgraded, allowing the driver to remotely adjust the tire pressure from inside the cab. For hard surfaces such as roads, the tires need to be fully inflated, while less air was applied when transiting over softer surfaces like the beach sand—adding versatility to the vehicle. This feature would soon become a standard on many military vehicles, even today.
British Army adored the beloved Duck, too, as soon as it was introduced to them and had immense respect for the ingenious vehicle.
Doubts surrounding the combat capability of the DUKW were further squashed when it had proven its usefulness and effectiveness in the Guadalcanal campaign in the Asiatic-Pacific theater in 1942, in the invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky) in 1943, and most prominently on the D-Day beaches of Normandy in 1944. The Duck successfully delivered supplies to the troop and, at some point, repurposed as an ambulance for wounded men, ferrying them directly into hospital ships without having to unload and load them a couple of times like its counterparts.
A Prolonged Service, A Long-lasting Impact
After the war, several DUKWs remained in service while the others were transferred to a couple of civilian organizations, usually rescue units like the police and fire departments. The US Army reactivated more than a hundred Ducks back to service when the Korean War broke out. It deployed to deliver supplies onshore and ferried troops during amphibious assaults.
Finally, in 2012, the Ducks were honorably retired entirely in service and replaced by newer, more sophisticated amphibian vehicles capable of retaliation with outfitted powerful armaments.
Nevertheless, it remained serving as a tour bus for some tourists company, steering through harbors and river cities across the globe.
You can watch the full documentary about the DUKW below.
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