LARC-V

History

Between 1952 and 1959 the US Army developed three amphibious lighters of different sizes to move cargo from ships anchored offshore across the beach and inland ^[2]. The LARC-V, rated to carry 5 tons, was designed in 1959, entered production in 1963 and was fielded that year ^[1][2]. Sources give a total of about 950 to 968 built, and Wikipedia lists Condec and LeTourneau-Westinghouse among the manufacturers ^[1][2].

Vietnam was the LARC-V's biggest job ^[1]. On 5 June 1965, fifty LARC-Vs of the 344th Amphibious Transportation Company swam ashore at Qui Nhon from the USNS Comet; a US Army photo caption from that day calls them the first vehicles of the type used in Southeast Asia ^[3]. Army companies ran harbor and beach supply at Qui Nhon and Cam Ranh Bay, and a platoon at Da Nang hauled bombs from ships to the Air Force flight line around the clock ^[1]. When US forces withdrew, many were destroyed or scuttled, about 500 according to Wikipedia and about 600 according to the Australian Antarctic Division ^[1][2].

Later service

The US Navy operates LARC-Vs with its beachmaster units, underwater construction teams and maritime prepositioning ships ^[1]. Under a service life extension program, rebuilt vehicles with a hydraulic transmission and a 375 hp John Deere diesel began reaching the Navy in June 2006, and 42 vehicles were funded ^[1]. Navy crews still used them in exercises such as Trident Sun 18 in Virginia in July 2018, ferrying Army drivers out to a causeway ferry during a practice offload ^[4]. The Army Corps of Engineers has also operated the type ^[1].

Australia has used LARC-Vs for decades ^[5]. The Australian Antarctic Division first used Army LARCs at Macquarie Island in the summer of 1970 to 1971, received eight surplus vehicles from the Army in 2008, and still uses them to resupply Macquarie and Heard islands ^[2]. In 1984 LARCs helped evacuate the passengers and crew of the ship Nella Dan after it ran aground at Macquarie Island ^[2]. In January 2026 Australia signed a contract worth A$125 million with the company Birdon for one prototype and 15 new Amphibious Vehicle Logistics craft to replace the Army's LARC-Vs, with deliveries planned from 2030 to 2033 ^[5].

Other military users have included Argentina, whose marines used LARC-Vs during the 1982 invasion of the Falkland Islands, as well as Germany, Portugal, the Philippines and Singapore ^[1]. Tour operators also run them, for example on Iceland's Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon ^[1].

Design and how it works

The LARC-V has a boat-shaped aluminum hull on four large balloon tires, which give suspension on land and help with flotation ^[1][2]. It is about 35 ft (10.7 m) long and 10 ft (3 m) wide and weighs about 19,000 lb (8.6 t) empty ^[1][6]. The original vehicles used a 300 hp Cummins V8 diesel ^[1]. It carries up to about 5 tons (10,000 lb) of cargo or 20 passengers, with a crew of up to three ^[1]. Published speeds are about 30 mph (48 km/h) on land and roughly 8 to 10 mph (13 to 16 km/h) afloat ^[1][6].

Its main strength is the move from sea to shore. Unlike the jet barges also used for Antarctic resupply, it can make surf landings in bad weather and climb many shorelines with little preparation ^[2]. The Australian Antarctic vehicles carry a small crane behind the operator's cab for handling cargo ^[2].

Legacy

The LARC-V has stayed in use for more than six decades, and Australia expects to keep its fleet running until replacements arrive between 2030 and 2033 ^[1][5]. By Wikipedia's count, roughly 200 remained in US military service and about 100 were privately owned, many carrying tourists ^[1]. The Australian Antarctic Division notes that the design is no longer in production, so fully working examples are becoming rare ^[2].

Related entries

• GMC DUKW "Duck"Military amphibians · 1942 to 1945