LARC-V

The LARC-V, short for Lighter, Amphibious Resupply, Cargo, 5 (V) ton, is an aluminium-hulled amphibious cargo vehicle able to carry five tons. It was developed in the United States during the 1950s and entered service in 1963. The U.S. Army used it extensively for over-the-beach supply during the Vietnam War, where transportation companies at Qui Nhon, Cam Ranh Bay and Da Nang moved cargo and bombs from ships in harbour to shore. Approximately 968 were built, and about 500 of those were destroyed, most by scuttling during the American withdrawal from South Vietnam. Operators have included military forces in Argentina, Australia, Germany, Iceland, the Philippines, Portugal and Singapore, and roughly 100 remain in private hands, mostly for tourism. A U.S. Navy service life extension programme from 2006 changed the transmission from mechanical to hydraulic and fitted a 375-horsepower John Deere turbocharged diesel engine.