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    Amphibious vehicle


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    I saw an amphibious vehicle in London for tourists, which drives around the city and then swims in the Thames. It looks really old, maybe War time.
    Its painted yellow now, but I don't think this was its true colour.
    Anyone know anything about it?

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    I've seen it (them?) too. Don't know how many there are but i'm pretty sure they're the old American 'DUKW'. About 20,000 of these things were built from 1942 onwards. Although they obviously now look stupid painted yellow with 'Frog' written up the side, isn't it great to see a piece of history still being used? (I saw one going round Parliament Square and the rear 'ladder' ripped the front off a Honda Civic trying to undertake on the corner!!).

    I was up in Liverpool recently and they have them there too. The bloody thing was actually in the water! Brave tourists indeed, rather them than me!!!!

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    Yes , it sounds like the one I saw, or similar. It was indeed yellow, maybe it was to blend in , in a yellow environment!
    Full of tourists, but I did not see it go in the Thames. The thing looked old, so I'm not sure that I would want to.... wub.gif

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    • 2 weeks later...

    It's a great testament to the design of these things though. In an age where appliances are not expected to last five minutes, it's fantastic to see a 60 year-old piece of world-changing history up and running.

    Quite how the D-Day veterens would feel seeing it painted bright yellow and full of German and Japanese tourists is another matter....... :P

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    • 2 months later...

    When the Germans and Japanese first set eyes on the DUKWs they certainly wouldn't want to ride in them they would have been heading for a new job as POWs. Without these vehicles WW11 would probably still be ongoing. rolleyes.gif

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    These DUKW's are based in Hercules Road SE1 if you come out of Lambeth North Tube Station its the road straight ahead of you and the Garage is right on the corner. This is handy as its the Tube nearest the Imperial War Museum. They used to go into the Thames at Chelsea Wharf but this has been developed for Yuppie housing so I dont know where else they can get in now.

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    Talking about DUCKS

    If you go out and see a duck, ponder deeply on your luck.
    see their feathers glossy sheen, a prettier sight is seldom seen.
    On land they have a sexy waddle, in the water hidden paddles,
    beaks are flat and rather long, they only quack no birdie song.

    If you go out and see a duck ponder deeply on your luck, when
    you have some food to spare, give the ducks a little share,
    For soon will be their time to die, shot for fun, from out the sky
    and even though not really fitting, blasted when they're only sitting.

    If you go out and see a duck ponder deeply on your luck,
    the reason they become dead meat, just because they're good to eat.
    When roasted they are rather fatty but they make a lovely pate,
    so if they didn't meet this fate, would be much less on our plate.

    Next tine you're out and see a duck ponder deeply on their luck
    not knowing that they will be shot, just to fill up someone’s pot.
    @ W. Occleston rolleyes.gif

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    • 4 weeks later...

    I finally saw them in the Thames the other day. A yellow one and a Green one. They were bloody low in the water, and when a barge passed the green one, it was pretty well thrown around. I thought it would sink. Wouldn't catch me in one!

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    • 4 months later...
    • 3 weeks later...

    Again, Laurence is right on.

    A guy in my city has (or had) one of these that is fully restored. They were capable of carrying quite a load and were used inland after the invasion as a standard (if not somewhat odd looking) truck.

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    Hi Mr Vice-Chairman. How come people here all say to keep you away from the Beer/Cider supplies? cheeky

    Don't go there Laurence! Trust me, you don't want to meet Mr Vice Chairman with a few Ciders down his neck.... :food-smiley-004: :violent-smiley-017: (or certain other club staff come to mention it....) tongue.gif

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    • 4 weeks later...
    • 4 months later...
    • 2 months later...

    Please can we never mention the s---k word

    :cheeky: Welcome to The Club Cleopatra1, and to the thread that never dies! :P

    John (Vice Chairman) was telling me he thinks your garages are based near Southwark tube? Said he saw one in a yard there.....

    How many Ducks do you actually have in the fleet? I would have thought maintanance was a nightmare. What stuff have you had to replace, and what is the most annoying and reoccuring problem with them?

    There'll be more questions to come......... ;)

    Amos.

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    Welcome to the forum! So, Cleo, are they as big a maintenance horror as I suspect? :speechless1::speechless1::speechless1:

    We have five Tour ones which are the yellow ones

    One army dukw in original condition and one which we are

    building for next year. maintanance is very hard and demanding

    every day they have to be inspected and greased

    But hay its all fun

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    Many many years ago, "when I was jist a recruity" there were a pair of them which did the tourist thing around Ottawa, our (Canada's) national capital. Even as a foolish teenager i couldn't see braving the Ottawa River in them, as the river regularly capsized boats and canoes and not infrequently drowned people.

    They've now been replaced by purpose built craft - of very similar appearance, form following function I suppose. One of the latter did drown some tourists last year, though it appears it only swamped because some drongo had left out a drain plug!

    On a related note, has anyone "over there" (Europe side) seen the Volkswagen "Thing" from the 1980's? It is a knockoff of the Kubelwagen, identical to my untrained eye except that the spare tire is not on the hood. there was one around here for years done in Afrika Korps camo and I used to see one in Toronto done up in an Eastern Front paint scheme. Something else to warm the hearts of veterans!

    On that cheery note, Happy Christmas!

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