THE DUKW Made safe at sea
From time to time there are media reports critical of “duck boats” – as the media often reports them. In truth, few of the vehicles being harshly criticized are true DUKWs, and most assuredly, any that are true GMC DUKWs have been extensively modified. The DUKW arguably had more engineering know-how devoted to it than any other vehicle in the U.S. Army’s WWII arsenal. The record should be set straight regarding the vehicle’s design and safety.
The DUKW pedigree
The amphibious truck was the result of work of a government agency outside of the War Department, the National Defense Research Committee, or NDRC. The NDRC was the brainchild of Vannevar Bush. Bush, born March 11, 1890 in Everett, Mas., received his Ph.D. in engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1916. While Bush was an accomplished engineer and inventor, perhaps more importantly, he was a notably competent science administrator. In 1932 he became vice president of MIT and dean of the MIT School of Engineering, and in 1938, president of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. Also in 1938, he was appointed to the National Committee of Aeronautics (NACA), forerunner of today’s NASA, and following the retirement of Joseph Ames in October 1939, Bush became NACA chairman.
Seeing the signs that the United States would soon be mobilizing for war, and concerned about a disconnect between the nation’s military and rapidly advancing science, Bush formulated a plan to create a committee remedy this condition. When Hitler invaded Poland, the matter became somewhat more urgent, and Bush managed to arrange for a June 12, 1940 meeting with President Roosevelt. The brief meeting was positive, with Roosevelt approving his proposal.
This approval was formalized a on June 27, with the newly formed National Defense Research Committee being placed under the auspices of the Council of National Defense, which had been created in 1916 “for the co-ordination of industries and resources for the national security and welfare.”
The eight people to make up the committee included two who
