Inside the Chieftain's Hatch: DUKW

[Update: Sold for $46,000] Continuing the series of vehicles which Rock Island Auction Company has been nice enough to let me film, we move onto a logistics vehicle in which which many of you may have ridden.
Note: A comment from DUKWDriver below who owns one of these things indicates a flaw in the video. Apparently there are some sub-variants of DUKW, and the mentioned change in the location of auxiliary air intake is not reflected in the early TM I had access to. In this change, the air scoop regulator handle has been replaced by a CTIS handle, so the commentary about rough weather operations is only applicable to earlier configurations of the DUKW, not this one. It seems that the auxiliary air intake problem was solved by another route. Further, the earlier CTIS system of a pump with air hoses running externally has obviously been replaced with a true CTIS controlled in the dash.

[@Scriptedviolince]

"In a bid to keep the dukw project afloat, Rod Stephens persuaded the army to allow him to demonstrate the dukw's ability in a series of sea trials off the New England coast. It looked like his last chance to sell the idea to an unenthusiastic military establishment. Four days before the trials, a violent storm hit the area. A coast guard vessel was wrecked on a sandbar offshore. When all attempts at rescue had failed, a dukw was sent out and managed to save the 7 man crew. A few hours later, the wreck had vanished. Two days later, President Franklin Roosevelt was informed that an army truck had gone to sea and staged the daring rescue of a navy crew. It was the break that Rod Stephens needed. Suddenly, everyone from the president down thought his machine was a great invention." ~Battlestations, DUKW

[@90cat1]

You don't want to buy our vehicle? well lets rescue the Coast Guard and enjoy the nice payments that y'all want to give us afterwards. What a way to sell a vehicle to the military.

[@yaelronald2280]

I know im randomly asking but does anybody know of a way to log back into an instagram account?? I somehow forgot the password. I love any tips you can offer me.

[@yaelronald2280]

@Brayden Marshall I really appreciate your reply. I got to the site through google and I'm waiting for the hacking stuff now. Looks like it's gonna take quite some time so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

[@BazilRat]

I would love to have been a fly on the wall when the important people were told of that one. "The good news is, sir, the crew were saved by the army and one of their prototype trucks." "...in one of their trucks?" "Yes sir, that's what it says here."

[@WalkaCrookedLine]

I have a special place in my heart for the DUKW. When I was a toddler my family was rescued from a flood by a national guard DUKW.

[@TheIronArmenianakaGIHaigs]

On no the cars on fire. Good job there’s all this water around it.

[@SleepySkull1]

Oh no, The water is on fire!

[@shorttimer874]

Oh no the truck is sinking, with a pesky life jacket making egress more challenging.

[@billy4072]

lol......err...not really.

[@haideribrahim7261]

hahahaha

[@FokkerBoombass]

But if there's fire inside the floaty car and you put water in to get the fire out, you lose the floaty :

[@samholdsworth3957]

"If you're one of them" Lmao

[@RaduB.]

:-) Rudder amidships! I happen to like "them" and their fancy vocabulary...

[@billlexington2625]

😂😂😂

[@JohnDoe-ff2fc]

he's part of the dual service 85th Waterborne Division

[@archangelgaming2463]

Are YOU one of “them”?

[@111Numbskull]

At first I felt slightly insulted on hearing this said. Then thought to myself. From this source, it was a high compliment. Love your shows.

[@andrewsnow7386]

About brakes in the water: I have been an avid boater all my life, and I own an Amphicar. Even with my boating experience, the temptation to "hit the brakes" when operating in the water is high. While I agree it seems like it should be unnecessary, the warning that the brakes don't work in the water is really a good thing to emphasize.

[@SnakebitSTI]

Always important to remember that, when you’re distributing thousands of vehicles into the hands of thousands of people, it’s a bad idea to make assumptions about what every single one of those thousands of people knows!

[@markfryer9880]

Well as the saying goes, making an assumption will make an ass out of you and me.

[@tylerv9906]

I also image a lot of the operators of the DUKW during WWII had never driven a boat before, so they probably had no clue how a boat stops

[@jfan4reva]

I actually laughed out loud about the brake warning. But then I started with boats when I was about 10.

[@gg5115]

Every single person who first drives one will tap the brake at some point while in the water. Just hoping the passenger didn't notice...

[@JamesLaserpimpWalsh]

I'm glad you are doing other vehicles apart from tanks. I used to have a toy of this vehicle as a young scamp. It spent many hours transporting 00 scale soldiers from chest island to attack troops on sponge island in the bathtub. It fulfilled its role magnificently in this situation.

[@markfryer9880]

Well colour me olive drab with envy, what fun times you must have had while soaking in your bath

[@Chownz]

Well I'm an army brat, my dad's base had one of these and as a ten year old use to drive it on the testing area at the back of the base. They also had a pond that I 'floated' around in!!

[@Zack_Wester]

please tell me one of the grunt put a sign saying kid pond?

[@Emdee5632]

I recently built a Italeri 1:35 scale model plastic kit of the DUKW.

[@pt8208]

Well, you amphibian scamp-ass you. I remember strafing your Duck's in my Diecast Metal Zero, right into your wee Duck!

[@sage2308]

The Drake: "that idea didn't float . . " LMAO

[@olivierr.5752]

yes, I thought it was a good pun as well xD

[@RJDKHS96]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/pGiYhKqdmJirbqc

[@interdictr3657]

*facepalm* I cringed so hard at that one

[@sage2308]

RJDKHS96 thanks for the link: great to see it in reality.

[@seth1422]

If it walks like an amphibious truck pun and quacks like an amphibious truck pun, it’s safe to say...

[@K-H-28]

This vehicle is a favorite of mine. The river and lake tour companies in Wisconsin Dells usually run these because there's no better way to transport 20 or so people across land, river, and lake in one vehicle. So many fond memories of tours with friends and family in one of the best locations in the state.

[@williamsager805]

We just lost one here in Missouri with 18 tourist going down. 18 inches of freeboard in a heavily loaded DUCK with nothing to keep water from coming over the sides just wont protect DUCKs from 70 mph winds.

[@kyle857]

I have also been on the Wisconsin ones. They always seemed fairly well maintained and safe to me.

[@stevenfidika125]

I recall that the ducks at Wisconsin Dells had onboard air compressors to inflate the tires as needed.

[@RichardDCook]

I've seen DUKWs at Lake Tahoe (California/Nevada border)

[@thomasborgsmidt9801]

Well, the Catalina PBY was a truck that flew on water.

[@TheChieftainsHatch]

Good point. Offroad capability is a little limited, though.

[@thomasborgsmidt9801]

Reminds me of the colonel that later was the commander of the Luftmeldekorpset. He was once transported from Copenhagen to Aalborg for a meeting. Now the PBY was - to say the least - not the fastest aircraft (especially with a head wind). But as resourcefull RDAF-officer that contingency was catered for in the form of an amply supply of whiskey (as You are one of them). With nothing better to do - as the flight dragged on past the usual gossip (exchange of confidential classified information) and the drone of the engines made coherent conversation difficult anyhow: The strictly non-complementary refreshments were attacked. After the tedium was finally over the colonel disembarked the aeroplane, but the fact it was a flying boat had escaped the attention of said colonel - and he stepped out on the fiord. In his slightly enebriated condition the feat of Our Savior was not dublicated - with the predictable result of a colonel very moist on the outside as well. As an aside (I think): Having lived on Greenland the tale of footslogging on water always drove the local population to perplexion. They considered that walking on water as the only sensible way of getting ahead - with the proviso, that you wait for it to stiffen up, as Thumper so elegantly demonstrated in the Disney production.

[@thomasborgsmidt9801]

If You Google FSN Aalborg you can still see the slip for the flying boats.

[@MrGeorocks]

Now that was an invaluable aircraft. Search and Rescue, Anti-Submarine Patrol, Cargo Transport and whatever else was needed for areas that had access to water but not a landing strip. I wouldn't call it underrated but in modern times overlooked. Attack planes get all the attention.

[@thomasborgsmidt9801]

Talking of Greenland: 1) There is very little on-road at all! 2) The terrain is plagued by gravel - or rather boulders the size of tanks - placed inconvieniently. Not to mention the glacier upon it. 3) Considering "one of them": Danish forces are a weird bunch. The dog-sledge "cavalry" is a naval command. Guard dogs are not used to any extend - as long as you have polar bears with a notorious disgruntled disposition - you are not liable to run into trespassers (maybe a bear munching on a snack, but intruders have by then ceased to be a military problem). Guarding air stations is normally the duty of the population of musk oxes - similarly temperamental.

[@drewdederer8965]

The Brits also had the Terrapin, which was a quite a bit bigger, but had no suspension whatsoever (so not much of a truck). There is a story of a DUKW driver who pushed back when an Ensign tried to pull rank on him as to how much cargo he was going to take. Pointing out to the officer that the DUKW had an anchor, and therefore he was a "Captain".

[@deeznoots6241]

Being in command of a ship doesn’t make you a captain though, smaller ships are often commanded by lesser officers

[@neildahlgaard-sigsworth3819]

Deez Noots the actual rank doesn't matter. The captain of any ship is the person assign to the command of that ship.

[@mattdickson2]

it’s lovely that military tradition makes anyone in command of a boat or ship is afforded the title of captain makes for many a silly story.

[@justforever96]

​@@neildahlgaard-sigsworth3819that is false. A captain is a very specific rank. The person in charge of a boat is the commanding officer or commander. They are however personally responsible for the vessel and have almost total authority in how the vessel is handled and loaded. If they tell the actual captain to sit down, he needs to listen. In theory, that sort of thing can be dangerous after the trip is over. An ensign is just an ensign, barely an officer, and if they are trying to make you exceed safe loading recommendations you have the regulations on your side as well. Every single person in charge of a Duck or motor launch being able to tell an actual Captain of an aircraft carrier to get bent, and do what they want, that's not a thing.

[@RaeSyngKane]

The DUKW, a vehicle adopted for it's outstanding abilities capable of driving out to rescue the Coast Guard in rough weather and now rendered dangerous by people chopping them up 75 years later to turn them into under-maintained, fully enclosed, overloaded, and badly captained tourist vehicles. I thought of it's origins when I saw the news on the accident in Branson and thought, "They must've done terrible things to that DUKW in the last 75 years".

[@markfryer9880]

Yes I too thought of that heroic first rescue and then wondered what had gone wrong with this latest event.

[@MartinCHorowitz]

The DUKW always had limitations, you need to be sure that the flotation compartments were intact and all bilges operated. In Civilian config they should not be operated in rough weather. The one I road in had a suncover, open sides(above the sidewall), and mandatory life jackets. If you are careless or reckless you can sink a DUKW. rather quickly.

[@stevenpilling5318]

That incident at Branson was horrendous. I've ridden in one at Wisconsin Dell's. The tour guides were college kids who worked for donations from the passengers! Right there I tripped to the reality that these vehicles were likely poorly maintained, inexpertly handled and wholly unsafe. And old besides!

[@robnamowicz8073]

@@stevenpilling5318 Sir, though it has been a while since I was at the Dells, the facility I visited employed nearly a dozen maintenance personal to ensure the machines were well taken care of. Also, as an owner of one fine DUKW let me tell you the Table Rock lake amphibian that sank was what is referred to as a 'stretch duck.' That is, the chassis and frame has been elongated to carry more people. In my opinion that is not the original design and defeats some sea keeping abilities. The first design was best and should not be tampered with. As far as college kids captaining the Wisconsin ducks, well, chances are the men who piloted them on Dday were not much older.

[@stevenpilling5318]

I'm glad to hear it, Rob. However, it remains that those vehicles are very old, far beyond their expected lifetimes. I also hope those pilots are now getting a regular salary. It improves incentive! Just remember, too, that the men who drove them into battle were intensely trained by both Army and Navy personnel. Their odds of survival were not considered high, either.

[@ExUSSailor]

Yes, us Navy types are authorized to use real words, not just grunts, clicks, and, whistles! :)

[@jimbotheassclown]

And the navy types are also authorized to use each others butt holes as happy socks .

[@CallanElliott]

@@jimbotheassclown All Navy types are good for.

[@stevenpilling5318]

Squids have no sense of humour...!

[@austincummins7712]

Yeah, 18 inches of freeboard in rough waters- I shuddered a bit when you mentioned it. I live outside Branson, Missouri and last summer an original WWII DUKW built in 1944 being used in an attraction called "Ride the Ducks" sank in Table Rock Lake killing 17 people. I remember the storm that rolled through that day and I have never seen such a fast onset of a storm in my life (and I see a lot of thunderstorms where I live). Within minutes, it went from calm and sunny to dark clouds, high winds, rain, & lightning without any warning. I myself had been on Ride the Ducks as a child and I remember think it felt a bit low in the water. They also modified the vehicles and added a hard-top canopy which is partially what contributed to the death toll because it trapped them in the boat (though there were more many more reasons cited which you can read about online if interested). They tried desperately to get to a dock or shore (which you can also see video of on here somewhere and see just how low they were) but sadly never made it. It was a very avoidable and costly tragedy. At one time, I liked to think that those old duck boats had possibly seen enough death in their lifetime coming out of WWII (though I seriously doubt any of those actually got used in the field) and that it was a happy ending to know that they were still going strong as an attraction for old and young alike- but a happy ending was not to be. On a lighter note, I love your videos keep up the good work!

[@KombatKangaroo]

loving that there is no background music the usual music does my head in!

[@jeffreymcfadden9403]

mr. chieftan did not mention that the army had a dedicated trailer for the duck. to improve hauling capacity. the problem was that the trailer had the bad habit of swamping, and taking down the duck with it. few trailers exist. the armor museum near youngstown,ohio has one of the few trailers that still exist.

[@markfryer9880]

Wow I had no idea about the DUKW trailer. Nothing I have seen or read about mentions them at all

[@markmcqueen1882]

Living in a small town on the Ohio River, the city govt. still had one of these in semi-active service up until the mid-1970s. If nothing else, they would get it out and clean it up once a year for the Memorial Day parade.

[@Kumimono]

A vehicle for when things go fowl.

[@404Dannyboy]

A vehicle for when you are flooded by problems.

[@MWSin1]

That pun is for the birds.

[@ekscalybur]

The lower front plate has a nice angle to it, good for baiting players into firing a shot that's likely to bounce. Leaving you a reload length of time to spray bilge at them. Highly effective.

[@danielpalmer1791]

But it's American so auto pen... The premium soviet lend lease version on the other hand...

[@ExUSSailor]

"Amphibious operations on land, and, on water." In case the reader didn't know what "amphibious" meant.

[@paulmanson253]

Anon Nymous You mean as opposed to Yogi Berra's use of the term ? As in he bats amphibious ?

[@calvingreene90]

Navy landing craft are used in amphibious operations but only on water.

[@paulmanson253]

Anon Nymous Sigh

[@benitomussolini7382]

calvingreene90 the buffalo could also go on land

[@calvingreene90]

@ Augusto Pinochet Yes, LVTs are amphibious but LCAs are not.

[@mikesmith2905]

Post war the Soviets built their own version on a Zil truck (the BAV 485) which remained in service certainly well into the 1970s I believe - It differed mainly in having the cargo bay extend to the rear for ease of loading/offloading. That was replaced by an even bigger tracked vehicle the PTS, updated version of which are still in service - The Ruskies have to defend what is in effect a flat plain criss crossed by rivers, there isn't much terrain suitable for a defensive line until you reach the Urals - hence their fondness for amphibious vehicles (PT76 etc)

[@conorcrowley6256]

One of these in Dublin. Its great fun to go to Stevens Green and on the Liffey in one trip.

[@TheChieftainsHatch]

I think the Viking Splash tours run six of them. They only go into the basin near the O2 arena, not in the Liffey itself.

[@conorcrowley6256]

The_Chieftain Ah my bad. Tbh the last time I was on them was when I was very small.

[@windwalker5765]

In recent years, DUKWs from the Ride the Ducks tour service have assisted with rescue efforts after hurricanes and floods. They did so well that we may see a new amphibious truck developed for the National Guard in the Gulf coast states, as well as maybe the Marines.

[@glynwelshkarelian3489]

A design of utter genius. de Vinc doodled things that would never, ever, work. Stephens, Speir and Puleston (of DDT ban fame) came up with a design to make an existing truck into something that would sail, not just float; that carried men and material on land and sea reliably; that mounted live artillery that helped clear the D-Day beaches; that looked like nothing that had every existed; that was simple enough for even soldiers to operate; and which were still driving over the 3 mile wide beach at Southport and saving lives almost 60 years after it first floated. All within months. That is true genius.

[@elliottmanning]

Enjoyed my surplus USMC GMC DUKW back in the mid-1960s!!! It was used for the offshore filming of the movie "HAWAII". Learned a lot from your video. Thanks for the memories.

[@briansmithwins]

“The drake, that idea didn’t float...” Take your upvote for the pun alone.

[@TheChieftainsHatch]

Thank you.. thank you... I'll be here all month.

[@cattledog901]

So nice to watch this without "DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUH DUH DUH DUN DUN DUN" playing in the background the whole video.

[@blue2sco]

Ok I'm disappointed there was no "Oh bugger the Duck is on fire" moment :(

[@mpetersen6]

No problem, the fire will go out once the Duck sinks

[@dwayne7201]

Worry not the duck won't get roasted

[@Nexfero]

We need more Fleeps!

[@hallamhal]

Nexfero no, we need more Seeps!

[@scootergeorge9576]

This looks like a job for Super Duck!

[@cookingonthecheapcheap6921]

Sounds like something from Rick and Morty lol.

[@davidmiller9485]

yeah... if your one of them...

[@kyleh3615]

@@hallamhal honestly, the Seep (GPA) was such a dumb idea The jeep was already good at fording water and it was so small that trying to make it a baby dukw was a waste (Apparently the USSR liked them and made a copy)

[@maddyg3208]

I saw a DUKW at the North Road boatramp in Port Phillip Bay, Melbourne, Australia about 1980. I watched it coming towards the shore. I thought it was a boat but to my surprise it drove out of the water, stopped for a little while and kept going up the road!

[@exactinmidget92]

this is great and all but how do you tension the track?

[@adanzavala4801]

exactinmidget92 the new "Wheres the bayonet plug"

[@mfree80286]

It's a good afternoon, listening to the Chieftain spin a DUKW tale. Woo-oo!

[@mattdickson2]

Michael Free DAMN YOU NOW ITS IN MY HEAD

[@stever417]

If D corresponds to 1942, should we be thankful this wasn't designed in 1944?

[@kyle857]

Lol

[@jojodancer4947]

Hee hee heee!

[@mlovmo]

huh? OOOOOH! HA ha heh, he. eh.

[@davidwilkin1202]

stever417 😂😂

[@davidwilkin1202]

mlovmo think about it F for '44 🤔

[@Coffreek]

Respect to you for pointing out all of the justified... concerns... with winch cables. I also especially enjoy being able to hear the parentheses around the phrase "if you're one of those".

[@Wideoval73]

Like your reference to Navy people as 'One of them.' I know you were a Tank guy, I'm a 11B. Great description of the Duck. Some are still in operation.

[@Reckec]

Awesome !! Video. I really enjoyed it. Showed the video to my former brother-in-law , he's "one of them",(USN Captain ret., Annapolis grad., incredible guy) and he's now a subscriber.

[@brettany_renee_blatchley]

Lovely video! I know the DUKW from my youth in Skaneateles New York where our volunteer Fire & Rescue had a white-painted version fitted for fire-fighting. There were habited places along Skaneateles Lake that were accessible only by boat. Our beloved DUKW seemed to be a favorite of all, always appearing in our parades, or driving into the water on business! 😊❤

[@petermilsom1109]

on our honeymoon, just over 17 years ago, my wife and I took a DUKW ferry service on Jersey (an island near France) connecting the main castle to the mainland (the castle is cut off when the tide is in - an important part of its design!). There were normal boat ferries available too, but the DUKW wins hand down for style! It was a strange thing climbing into it as a boat on the quay at the castle, then floating to the land, with the strange feel of the wheels scrabbling for grip on the bottom as we got into shallower water. The DUKW drove right up a slipway on the mainland, and we got out via iirc a set of steps the company running them had set up. I think they had 3 or 4 DUKW providing the service, with service times etc being factored into the predicted load schedule (i.e. they are a lot busier during holidays and at weekends, so service them at other times). A great experience, If we are ever back on Jersey, we would certainly use the DUKWs again, if they are still running. There is also an operational DUKW at St Michael's Mount, Cornwall, England (also an island when the tide is in!). But that is the personal transport of the family that own the island, and is not available for the public to use. That DUKW was certainly still there only about 6 weeks ago (early July 2018).

[@agemmemnon100]

Thanks for covering this important vehicle, though it hits home to those of us in Indiana after the fatal loss of an entire family. Sadly this great vehicle has been suggested to be banned, which I think is a terrible idea, all tragedy aside, though I am wondering why the tour company in question thought it wise to completely enclose the cargo area for passengers, and then to operate in rough conditions. It's obvious from your great coverage of this vehicles operations, that it performs best in ideal conditions.

[@MrDgwphotos]

Ah, the "government races to the rescue by banning something" solution ("solution") to a problem.

[@cookingonthecheapcheap6921]

@@MrDgwphotos funny they don't feel the same about guns though.

[@bobjoe-bv2vc]

For such a specialized industry as a "Low-freeboard passenger-craft with many sealed-joints", you think that requirements would touch on "fair weather" and "inspection of shaft-boots" ""Once is a fluke, Twice is a coincidence, Three times is a trend… " This has happened before and a deaf ear was turned.

[@bellypatter1]

benjamin donaldson Not from lack of trying by the government though.

[@paddy1952]

After surviving the Italian campaign with the British Army in WW2, in 1945 my dad was training on DUKW's for the invasion of Japan. Apparently, there wasn't huge enthusiasm for this project among my dad and his mates, but they would do their duty. Fortunately, that operation never had to take place.

[@jballew2239]

The DUKW did have a true CTIS system, it just is missing from this example. One will find it's missing from many examples, as it is a bit of a pain to maintain, and looks like it was made from leftover plumbing components. The one I dealt with had valves that looked like they belonged on the end of a garden hose, where it attaches to the house. There were larger postwar "DUCK" like vehicles that were used , which sometimes turn up for sale . The LARC series, made by LeTourneau (A name that should by itself, give you an idea of the size of the monsters. The LARC LX/BARC for example, was 63 feet long.)

[@TheChieftainsHatch]

Damnit, I knew I forgot to upload a page from the manual. It looked like a pump on the left side, and a long tube to reach the tyres externally.

[@MrDgwphotos]

That's similar to the tire inflation system used on the first BTR-152's to include a tire inflation system. Later they moved to an internal tire inflation system where it wasn't so obvious.

[@francoistombe]

I owned one of these for a while. There was an air pump in the front compartment driven directly by a forward extension of the crank shaft. This interfered with replacing the fan belt so a replacement belt was pre-positioned in place with the shaft running through it. The pump filled a tank which fed air to a manifold under the passenger seat. 6 hand valves controlled the flow of air to each tire individually. A hose went to each hub and through a rotation fixture then fed to each tire stem.The driver could inflate or bleed the tires in any combination and to any pressure while driving the vehicle. There was also an auxiliary air hose from the storage tank. The tires were 18 inch instead of the standard 20 inch used on the truck version CCKW. We had to get replacement 18 inch tires from Russia, they were not available in North America. The Russians loved this vehicle so much they copied and built many thousands more and used them until 1980 or so. The Russia version had an aluminum hull and an aluminum V8. The cargo space was extended to the rear and had a fold down tail gate.

[@forbeshutton5487]

The Deuce and a Half could fly, they just never built a catapult big enough.

[@FallGuyManiac]

Forbes Hutton my grandpa had a 6x6 deuce, and in later years one of my uncles took it out in the cowfield and took a run at a slope between the lower and upper pasture and that thing actually left the ground when it reached the top of the slope. So I can say I’ve seen a deuce fly :)

[@ColonelSandersLite]

Well, isn't "a flying duece and a half" basically just a C-47?

[@garyneilson1833]

Rode in one of these in Liverpool when they were running the Yellow Duckmarines, great fun

[@JimJonesKoolaid]

Another great one Chieftain! I love the odd, highly specialized vehicles you do the most. Can't imagine bobbing through the waves with that winch running through the whole vehicle a foot away.

[@General.Longstreet]

Always loved the DUKW. To my mind a symbol of American ingenuity

[@robertmorris2388]

I have only just discovered this presenter. I am very impressed with his banter, approach and discussion. Certainly the matter of fact use of terms self observed IE “be advised the use of the break petal while in water...”. I like and enjoy him and am glad to have discovered this channel. The Chieftains control over his use of the explicative is very much appreciated.

[@Cancun771]

I hadn't known I'd been waiting for this. Also _SO_ great that there's no music while he's talking!

[@mpersad]

Thanks Chieftan, really fascinating film on one of my favourite WW2 vehicles.

[@CUSTARDD]

Chieftain throwing shade at the navy in this one

[@readhistory2023]

It's a tradition at my house. My Dad was Navy, my brother Air Force and I was Army. I was the only one who had sense enough to keep their feet on the ground. ;)

[@Akm72]

...so your Mum was a Marine then? :-D

[@ZONNEKAT]

Custard Are you one of ''them ''..?

[@CUSTARDD]

zonnekat nope, but i’m related to marines. i know it’s all in good fun though

[@russetwolf13]

It's hard to respect the Navy, what with every seaman I've ever met lying to himself and everyone else about his orientation. It's okay to be gay.

[@SkylersRants]

Thanks. You're the first person I've ever known about to be able to explain where the DUKW name comes from.

[@JohnRodriguesPhotographer]

My Dad tried to instill on me the importance of staying clear of a tow cable or winch cable. He had an extremely healthy respect for winch cables and such. This was instilled upon him when he was in the army and they had to haul their tanks out of the sand when they were training in the desert before Operation Torch. One night when I was out at the local Bayside Park where there's a boat ramp, some yo-yo back to his car and trailer so far into the water he had water in the truck. So we got a tow strap and attached it to the front of the car and to the rear of a pickup. As we're pulling on this car/boat/trailer to get it out of the Bay, the tow strap snapped. I was standing too close and the strap, up on snapping, sought out it's most convenient Target. That happened to be me! Fortunately, a nylon tow strap, when it breaks, has nowhere near the velocity of a metal tow strap or tow cable. In all honesty it's saved my life. In my future children's lives. a tow strap when it snapped back actually slapped me across the groin. Being that the nylon strap is soft and loses a lot of its energy very quickly before it ever hit me, other than being startled I was the target of much ribbing. Please if you're winching or Towing regardless of what kind of material are you using on the winch or to tow, stay clear. I was very very very lucky that night. You may not be. if you're reading this and you're laughing try to remember it anyhow. You might save your life or the lives of your future children. if you have a friend or stranger too close to the strap pulled them back physically if you have to. I can't stress enough how lucky I was that night. If you got a laugh from this great! when I told my dad what happened yeah, he looked at me knowingly and said I told you!

[@calvacoca]

Thanks a lot for the video ! 👍😊 We used to see many of that vehicles in Normandy D-day museums, or during commemoration parades. A symbolic vehicle of that battle.

[@TheKajunkat]

If I remember my stories correctly, the main use of the winch was to get off the beach back into the water. They would drop the anchor in the surf and spool out as they went onto the land. After discharging their cargo they would use the winch to pull them back until they could float again and then head back to the supply ships for another load. It was a water truck after all.

[@grizwoldphantasia5005]

I didn't see your comment before adding my own. Glad to know I wasn't alone.

[@taylorwest6986]

I remember reading in "Band of Brothers" that the troops preferred riding in these over the Deuce and a Half because it had a more comfortable ride.

[@jenskunze4384]

Greetings to the Chieftain, It is nice that another truck now finds it way to the collection and marked as done. This particular one reminds me on my Roadtrip through the USA i did last year, because i was in Seattle where i was with some other Germans and we took the Duk-Tour. This was a nice experiences. So high up on the road and above the cars besides be able to drive in the water of the harbour and drive on. Thank you very much, Mr. Moran. Best wishes and regards to you from Germany. P.S. Follower of many years and your videos are great. Informative with the right portion of sarcasm or humor ;)

[@samholdsworth3957]

Looks safe! Love these videos. Thanks!

[@DIEGhostfish]

Sam Holdsworth not so much any more, a lotta them seem to sink these days.

[@Axilur]

Thanks for doing this, very interesting and thorough!

[@AkosJaccik]

Rather clever vehicle! Although the lack of a naval ram on it is a pressing issue.

[@jcadult101]

A true workhorse, thanks for covering it!!

[@jimbo9305]

Who needs track tension when you have "winch cable by your neck" tension?

[@clutchpedalreturnsprg7710]

Did you notice the forward winch port hole was at Tit high when Chieftain was seated in the driver seat? What bothers me about this is I've seen winch cables , ropes and chains snap. The damage is immense.

[@deathwish3611]

Any video with the Chieftain is a good video to watch in my books.

[@ExUSSailor]

The process of moving forward by using the anchor is called "kedging".

[@leepalmer1210]

Anon Nymous I didn't know that, that's cool to learn

[@TotalRookie_LV]

+Anon Nymous So, are you one of _them?_

[@cookingonthecheapcheap6921]

I didn't, but im glad I know what that's called now.

[@ExUSSailor]

Yup. I was a US Navy Hull Maintenance Technician for 6 years.

[@cookingonthecheapcheap6921]

@@ExUSSailor thank you for your service.

[@anaetadesireechandler4122]

Greetings Sir Loved the commentary on naval terms Being one. Of “them” (USMC) I chuckled several times. I fully agree

[@derrickstorm6976]

Really beautiful vehicle in it's simplicity

[@Psiberzerker]

Awesome. So glad you got to do this one.

[@dalebelseth3058]

My Father was fascinated by these. He got To drive one on land in Hawaii a little about 1944.

[@nomar5spaulding]

Great video Sir Nicholas.

[@TheChieftainsHatch]

Thank you.

[@outlawflyer7868]

Great video.sucks that people lost there lives in one of these tragically in Branson,MO back in late july when one sank due to a storm that ended up flooding the vehicle and only but 14 survived.God be with them...

[@mastathrash5609]

Looks like a chore to operate in amphibious operations, seem many in person and never knew much about them. Great vid.

[@kyle857]

They work well at sea.

[@MichaelEdelman1954]

There was a marvelous surplus store in Detroit in the 1950s and 60s that my father would take me to as a treat. Outside they had a light tank, and the one toy I really wanted- a DUKW! Thanks for presenting this.

[@markwilliams2620]

Michael Edelman What part of De-Twah? We had Ark Surplus in Mt. Clemens, but I don't remember anything in front of it.

[@frankperkin124]

Silverstein's?

[@frankperkin124]

Ark's was never that big. Cool place though. Hung out there a lot back in the 70's.

[@Danspy501st]

"The manual warns that the brakes dont work in water" Just imagine a new driver that should drive/sail DUKW and panicing about that the brakes dont work when they are in the water XD Also nice puns :D

[@BillHalliwell]

G'day Nicholas, Thanks for this video. It's a really clever piece of gear. There are a few detailed documentaries on this amazing vehicle and they are well worth a look. These carried all kinds of gear and kit that could fit on the truck only version; even used as a water ambulance to evacuate casualties to hospital ships etc. Cheers, BH

[@toddswansby7271]

Great video, I used to be a duck driver in Wisconsin Dells back in the 90's for the Original Wisconsin Ducks. It was the best summer job ever. They have the largest fleet of ducks in operations to this day. If you ever get a chance to visit Wisconsin Dells, I highly recommend you take a duck tour.

[@GoredonTheDestroyer]

Oh my God, the DUKW is on fire!

[@wrongway1100]

The DUKW. A vehicle that could do everything, except fly.

[@gordonlawrence4749]

I dunno drive fast enough off a cliff and it would probably fly a few feet.

[@wrongway1100]

Gordon Lawrence 😂😂😂 LOL.

[@alexander1485]

it could fly after a C130 drops it

[@MarkoDash]

everything is airdrop-able. once.

[@Zack_Wester]

if they wasn´t so stressed whit getting it out and had a few more month maybe they could make it airborne(although it would probebly be stated only to fly shorter distance on clear days).

[@kyle857]

I have been on a few in Wisconsin. A very cool and versatile vehicle.

[@blue2sco]

One thing the Deuce & a half could not do was fly...........that's why you have the DC-3/C-47 Dakota ;)

[@heartland96a]

Technically the CCKW could fly , they modified some 475 units to be able to split them in half and transport them in two C-47's I don't know how many exist today , but I do know of at least two one in England and one in the USA.

[@blue2sco]

but still need the C-47 ;)

[@heartland96a]

yes , that is true, and it was refereed to as being air portable ..

[@blue2sco]

Or maybe they should of stuck wings on it Russian Style ;)

[@heartland96a]

I was going to post that thought, to make it a glider but thought it would have likely damaged the drive train due the the landing speeds , let a lone connecting any simple flight controls .

[@coroamaelena-doruta4157]

Last time when I was late The_Chieftain posted way fewer videos in a short period of time. I like that now there are more new videos.

[@lycossurfer8851]

If they have a warning about the brakes being ineffective in the water; shouldn't they also have a warning about not having your squad jump out and trying to give you a push start if your battery dies?

[@myparceltape1169]

Jump out? Not so much of a drop before their feet get wet in the sea. But on land again, it was just as well I still had a hand on the edge or I would not have remained vertical. Imagine 20 men dismounting each with their 80lb pack.

[@Stukov961]

Jesus that winch cable routing is terrifying. I've been nearby when a winch cable snapped in an attempt to recover a semitrailer from a ditch. It is not an experience I want to repeat, even when I was standing out of harms way.

[@TheWtfnonamez]

When I was a kid I remember DUKWs being the hot-ticket army surplus vehicle. They were prized tools for all sorts of jobs, from adventure parks to ferrying people across tide-locked straights. I remember as a kid visiting a small island which was cut off by the sea for half the day. When the tide was in you had to buy a ticket on the local DUKW.

[@steveallen8987]

A couple of things. This model does have a fully controlled from driver seat tyre inflation system. The mesh grills on the Deidre adjacent the driver and passenger are actually the primary air intakes. They have foldable covers for heavy weather at sea whereupon the air is sourced from the grill behind the drivers compartment. The auxiliary air intake on the fore deck behind the engine access panel was not for use at sea and on later versions like this example were either disabled or entirely missing from the design. The engine exhaust is from a pipe exiting through the air intake mesh on the right hand side. You sound skeptic all about the bilge pumps but they have a substantial pumping capability as long as the transmission is running. They exit out of a panel below the left hand side air intake. It squirts the water up and out, opening a flap. You can always spot a leaking DUKW as it appears to be taking a piss out of it’s ear.

[@francoistombe]

The side grills are the coolant air flow exhaust points. The grill behind the driver is the coolant air intake. The fan blades are reversed so air is blown through the radiator from the engine side.

[@daysofnoah1748]

When I was about twelve years old, we went on Duk rides in the Wisconsin Dells. Our driver was young and asked all passengers if they had strong hearts. Everyone said yes, so he drove the Duk down a steep hill, off a cliff, and we fell about 20 feet through the air and into the river ! What a ride !

[@awittyusernamepleaselaugh7481]

I've actually been in one of these in France. They're absolutely bloody fantastic and I still totally want one.

[@DurinSBane-zh9hj]

There's enough room the British could put in a 17 pdr

[@tahunkwai5979]

Durin S. Bane yes but was an auto canon 17pdr gun >:)

[@randymagnum143]

Then they could miss navel targets with it!

[@deeznoots6241]

If anything the British would probably put in a 3 inch naval gun

[@mattdickson2]

maybe not a 17pdr but i don’t think it’d be too ridiculous for a 20mm Bofors to be mounted in the bed or better yet a maxim PomPom cause well it’s a boat and THOSE types(Royal Navy) used the PomPom on all sorts of itty-bitty patrol boats. or you could just mount a couple PIAT’s on it and an M2

[@nerd1000ify]

The vehicle has a capacity of 2.5 tonnes, which raises an even better possibility: The 6pdr QF Mk IIA, aka the Molins gun, a 6pdr AT gun fitted with a six round autoloader and used on RN patrol boats. Weighing in at 1700kg, it should just fit along with some ammo and reinforcing to handle the recoil ;)

[@akizeta]

7:20-ish 18" freeboard is a lot more than I've had in some rowboats in open water.

[@Xtorin_Housecat_Ohern]

your row boat was a lot more buoyant than the duck

[@polheg1]

When I was a kid growing up in Derry, N.Ireland. There were a couple of blokes who used to own one. I remember in '76 seeing them venturing into Lough Foyle to do fishing from it.

[@MartinCHorowitz]

I have "driven" a duck in tour configuration on the water near Boston, a lot of fun. As a war vehicle these we extermely useful since they didn't have to stop at the waters edge. They could also cross rivers,lakes and flooded fields where other equipment would be stopped. Return trips to ships often carried wounded soldiers.

[@Paddington60]

I seem to remember when reading the hand book for the DUKW one in a certain number, maybe ten, had an A frame that could be rigged to lift things, unload the other DUKWs, so yes which at the stern was a good idea. Could be useful to drop the anchor when running ashore to keep the stern square to the waves. Neat trick is not to run out of winch wire before you hit the beach in a landing craft, also drove several of those. Our DUKW had the brakes taken off, and the tyre inflation system, to save weight. It was used to load passengers to the motor launches at low tide. Drive out until the front wheels just started to bounce. Then the boat would come alongside and the passenger transferred. It always amazed me how many said they had crossed the Channel around D Day in a DUKW. I remember the day The Boss said to me, "I'm sorry, you have to drive the DUKW tomorrow", to a bit of a 4 x 4 nut it was hardly an imposition.

[@KnifeChatswithTobias]

So cool. Learned a lot. Love the old soft skin vehicles!

[@luciusvorenus9445]

Great video on an interesting vehicle!

[@turboconqueringmegaeagle9006]

Winch is on the back because it's primary role is in conjunction with a Derick for loading/unloading. Given that the sand anchor looks completely inadequate, beach rescue would probably be effected by another dukw crew.

[@calvingreene90]

You are not trying to unstuck the DUKW just pull it far enough on land for the tires to get traction. And presumably you have wet sand to work with.

[@turboconqueringmegaeagle9006]

calv that doesn't make a whole lot of sense, if it isn't stuck then no recovery is required. Leave any vehicle in the surf for five minutes and the sea will bury it up to it's axels.

[@davidolie8392]

Landing craft also had winches and anchors in the stern to help them unstick from the beach after unloading (or even more so in the rare cases of loading). That may have influenced the DUKW design.

[@calvingreene90]

@Turbo It is not stuck it can swim around at will but it can not get the traction to pull itself onshore and as a boat it does not get buried to its axles because it is floating. if the DUKW is bogged down in mud you would pull it out backwards but for the little extra pull to give the tires traction the rather small sand anchor is enough and is easily extracted from the sand while in motion so that you don't have to stop until you have a good surface to do so on.

[@turboconqueringmegaeagle9006]

calvingreene90 can go around to where? This thing would have experienced most of it's problems after it had stopped being a boat and was trying to get 2 1/2 ton of stores over a sand dune or vulcanic ash which was apparently particularly troublesome on Iwo Jima.

[@roberth.goddardthefatherof6376]

ahhhh the CCKW Deuce in a Half (well aqua version anyway), simple, rugged, strong and reliable, you couldn't ask for a much better truck design to serve as the US workhorse for Logistical suppies and troop transport in ww2. meanwhile the Main workhorse for Logistical supplies and troop transport for the Wehrmacht on the other hand..............Literally was a Workhorse, they didn't have the oil nor Automobile industry to be fully motorized yet so Cavalray was they're only choice. i mean the Germans did have a few trucks, Such as the Opel Blitz which they built 130,000 of but this still wasn;t nearly enough.

[@ThumperE23]

Something the US Government probably wished they still had the capability, especially for rescue/recovery operations in the Mississippi River Basin.

[@Swarm509]

They did have the VW Schwimmwagen which was a cool looking and interesting vehicle..... so they got the "water jeep" thing right anyways and built around 14,000 of 'em.

[@russetwolf13]

Swarm509 well consider the schwimmwagen, being based on the VW type 1, was easier to seal and float since an unmodified bug will usually float already without modification. An air cooled engine is already a smaller, better sealed power plant with only two half shafts which must pierce the watertight hull. But the consider that while making it swim is easy, without front wheel drive getting it out is harder. And waterproofing means less effective airflow which equals overheating on road. Fortunately in an air cooled motor overheating isn't as big a deal, no water to boil and bust it's seals, just stop driving and give it a rest.

[@obelic71]

even better this old warhorses were used a few years ago during a flood. The modern crap broke down and these soldiert on as emergency rescue vehicles

[@Biker_Gremling]

The main logistical transportation method for the Wehrmacht and the Soviets where trains. These didn't require oil to run, and they could transport big amounts of supplies quickly. The downside of course was the long time a railroad took to build, and on operations where railroads where not available to be captured, the Wehrmacht specially had issues. In theory horses and trucks were for final distribution of supplies, but in reality is wasn't the case and this is the one of the reason the Germans had so many problems. Since the USA had the oil and didn't (or couldn't) want to depend on the railroads for logistics, they decided to rely on the truck as the backbone of logistics. This proved to be a war winning strategy.

[@trailridescj7528]

Great clip!

[@khaccanhle1930]

Having used winches before, I completely understand the desire to stay away from a tensioned cable. When that sucker snaps. . .

[@zacharyhuffman1863]

As one of "Them," I thoroughly enjoyed this.

[@KMac329]

I love DUKWs!! The troops loved them, too, from what I hear. You're right to toss your head at the tautology of "an amphibious vehicle designed for use on land and water."

[@stevemeska7784]

I think the reason the winch and sand anchor was on the back was the same reason it was on many landing craft. The idea was to drop the anchor before beaching, then use the winch to help pull yourself off the beach and back into the water. In an emergency I guess the ports would allow you to pass the cable forward and pull yourself onto the beach.

[@organicdudranch]

My dad bought one at a surplus action for 1000 dollars ,painted it bright blue. every time i spent time on it i got sick,fuel fumes,i didn't care it was fun and everyone would look at us. we ran aground in the willamette river by portland oregon, and i swam 100 yards in freezing water to a piling with all the rope we had, we pulled the cable around it and pulled us out of a jam. we took it in the ocean off the beach at pacific city,with a huge crowd watching and nearly sank it a mile out to sea just turning around, they aren't made for the high seas for sure, we loved the thing except my mother who hated it .

[@robertgraham904]

When I was in elementary school, they showed us the “Duck Boats” in a field trip to Boston once, and they let me drive it on the water for few minutes which is pretty cool looking back that I drove a piece of history. Wish they kept it in the original olive drab paint job though, lol they looked kind of silly the way they were painted all sorts of colors. The one I drove was sky blue

[@richardsawyer1825]

I went on the Dublin DUKW years ago tour just because it's a DUKW although we used to visit a vehicle collection when I was a kid that had one.

[@donaldparlettjr3295]

Love the look on his face when he had to introduce naval terminology.