Talk:DUKW

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Military history: Land vehicles / Technology / Weaponry / North America / United States / World War II C‑class

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"Duck Boats"

Postwar Use section notes "The Boston Red Sox celebrated their 2004 World Series victory with a parade of 17 DUKWs carrying members of the team over land and across the Charles River while broadcasters erroneously referred to the vehicles as duck boats." "Duck Boat" is the local term for the tour vehicles. While technically erroneous, it is correct local usage. However, I just live here -- I don't have a citation, so I'm not editing the article yet. Comments, please? --Bratling 20:27, 23 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I took a crack at it. To me, the original wording sort of read to me as being condescending or snarky (e.g. "Those silly broadcasters couldn't get the name right!"), but people (lots of them!) really do (erroneously) call them duck boats so it doesn't hurt to make mention of it in a more neutral way. Jzerocsk 21:32, 31 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

"Viking Tours"

The passage on 'Viking Splash Tours', while I do not doubt it's veracity, sounds to me very much like an advertisement. The fact that it explores "Inland Waterways as opposed to...Rivers and Bays" does not seem to me to make it unique enough to deserve special mention on this page, especially since the terms 'inland waterway' and 'river' are not mutually exclusive. And, the tone of the paragraph seems distinctly non-POV to me.

I removed that paragraph altogether as I do not see why any one company should be featured here and others should not. Furthermore the tone was very much like that of an advertisment and therefore should not be in Wikipedia. --Hydraton31 18:16, 9 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Origin of "duck" nickname

I have long been under the impression that the DUKW earned the name duck because it's official name could be pronounced that way (especially by those willing to overlook the W at the end.) The article mentions something about sitting ducks. Anybody know the real story? --Badger151 23:23, 28 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The origin which I had heard, which was the "Sitting Duck" story, came from a Boston Duck Tour driver, who says he'd heard it from a WWII Vet. Given the nature of the job--Tour Guide--I was inclined to believe that he'd at least heard the story from a somewhat reliable source. The story he'd heard was that DUKW passengers in a war situation felt like sitting ducks, seems reasonable enough. --Epynephrin (talk) 15:43, 18 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Given the average GI's willingness to turn any abbreviation into a word (viz HMMWV), I'm inclined to think the first is the correct explanation. Trekphiler (talk) 09:53, 19 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Move to GMC DUKW

I suggest that the article is moved to GMC DUCKW since it is the vehicle's proper name. --KRISTAGA^α-ω 14:55, 4 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Don't you mean GMC DUKW ? --GeeTeeBee 15:56, 15 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Proposed merger of article Ride the ducks

I believe that the article is correctly tagged as a tourism-related stub, so I would be in favor of doing quite the opposite: make the "DUKW#Post-War use" section a bit more concise on the duck tours stuff, and use that to expand the Ride the ducks article. --GeeTeeBee 16:05, 15 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The duck is red

As I understand it, the DUKW also inspired the GAZ46 and BAV485. Worth a mention? Trekphiler 06:21, 22 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The Last Viking

Is that novel mentioned in the trivia notable enough for inclusion? --OGoncho 18:49, 2 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Mainly made by women

Considered to be one of the most successful amphibious vehicles ever made, there were ultimately over 21,000 produced by a work force consisting mainly of women working in the war effort. (http://www.netcomuk.co.uk/~jrcoles/DUKW_1.HTM)

Supplies

I removed a statement that 'DUKWs carried 18 million tons of supplies ashore in the 90 days after D-Day'. That would be virtually all the supplies landed in that period and is obviously wrong. DJ Clayworth (talk) 15:13, 11 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

How does it work ?

There needs to be more explanation here from a knowledgable person about how this actually works. Is the engine inside or outside the "hull" ? If the engine is inside, how do the drive shafts penetrate the hull ? Is there one drive shaft through the hull with differentials outside, or six drive shafts through the hull ? How would this be sealed off from water ? Eregli bob (talk) 04:50, 26 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Ride The Ducks

According to the article, the DUKW vehicles used by the company Ride the Ducks are not surplus DUKUs, but vehicles built specifically for the tour company. Though this may be true for some of the vehicles, it is not for all. The vehilces used by Ride the Ducks in Branson, MO are original DUKUs which have been modified, making the body longer, adding seats, and a roof. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.0.34.137 (talk) 23:09, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

"DUKW 353 Amphibian Truck"

Is "DUKW 353 Amphibian Truck" simply the same as "DUKW" (in which case we should certainly put that term in the article)? Or is there a distinction? - Jmabel | Talk 01:14, 31 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

British involvement?

Co-designer Puleston was born in the UK, but the DUKW was an American effort. By the time Puleston was helping, he had not returned to Britain in years, and at some point in his life, he began calling himself American. The British government did not take an official part in the DUKW specifications—Puleston did not represent them. Binksternet (talk) 13:38, 15 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Speir Device

There's a link for the term "Speir Device" that goes to a non-existent article. I don't have enough information to start the new article yet, but wanted to drop this link for future reference (my own or someone else's). This is a page by someone who claims his father, Frank W. Speir, worked on the DUKW, and the tire inflation device specifically: http://pages.prodigy.net/deanspeir/dukws&lace.html

To wit: "Perhaps my father's greatest contribution to the DUKW (and its successors, the Super Duck, the Drake and the BARC¹) was the tire inflation system with a two cylinder air compressor and air storage tank which permitted the driver to inflate or deflate all six tires simultaneously or individually from within the vehicle." - Rapscallion (talk) 03:43, 21 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]