Landing Vehicle Wheeled (LVW)

The Landing Vehicle, Wheeled (LVW) was an experimental amphibian developed for the US Marine Corps and the Navy's Bureau of Ships (BuShips). It was designed with nuclear war in mind. Assault ships would stay dispersed some 35 miles offshore so that a single nuclear blast could not destroy the whole fleet, and the LVW was to bring men and equipment ashore within an hour. It would then carry its 5-ton payload up the beach and along the road at about 35 mph.

Design

The LVW had a planing hull. A Lycoming gas turbine of 1,500 shp drove all four wheels and a pair of marine propellers through shafts, gears and a large gearbox, with no electric transmission. The wheels were mounted on struts that swung up for retraction, so they stand clear of the water when the vehicle is afloat. Once the wheels were raised, hinged planing plates were lowered to give enough planing area to lift the hull out of the water. The aft plate also carried the propeller shaft struts and pushed the propellers deeper to reduce cavitation.

Trials

Borg-Warner of Kalamazoo, Michigan, developed the vehicle under a BuShips contract. Chrysler later became prime contractor, some time after tests had begun; Borg-Warner was still in charge in 1963. A former Lycoming engine-control engineer who took part in the trials recalled that the cargo deck was extremely wet and the cab ride in any sea was "like riding a Brahma bull". On a flat-calm Potomac River it once reached 42 mph. Spray reaching the deck-mounted engine intakes caused a serious problem with salt build-up in the turbine compressor. Static scrubbers in the air path eased it but never solved it. When the LVW was delivered to Camp Pendleton it was unloaded from a rail car a few miles away and driven down the highway, reportedly startling a passing motorist.

The LVW was one of three high-speed amphibian concepts of the period, alongside the hydrofoil LVHX-1 and LVHX-2. All three carried five tons and had large retractable tyres. They were followed by the AALC hovercraft programme, which led to the LCAC.