London Duck Tours amphibious vehicle
Departing from Chicheley Street, just behind the London Eye, the amphibious vehicles drive past famous London landmarks such as Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Trafalgar Square before a dramatic launch into the River Thames from the slipway at MI6 Headquarters. The vehicles used for this 'splashdown' are known as 'Ducks' and they were originally used for the D-Day landings in 1944. During the early days of World War II, the allies were faced with a tough tactical problem: how could they unload cargo and men from their ships in places where the dock facilities had been destroyed, simply did not exist, or to coastlines that were heavily guarded? The answer was to unload cargo directly onto the beach. The question was; how to achieve this objective? An amphibious vehicle that was half boat and half truck that could run on land and water was invented; a DUKW. The code-name DUKW can be broken down into its four constituent letters: D = First year of production code "D" is for 1942 U = Body style "U" utility truck (amphibious) K = Front wheel drive W = Two rear driving wheels (tandem axle)
Size: 5184px × 3456px
Location: Waterloo, London
Photo credit: © Ashok Saxena / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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