Muskrat

The Muskrat was a Canadian amphibious tracked carrier. It followed the general layout of the GM Armoured Snowmobile Mark I and the Mudcat and was meant to match their performance in mud, water and swamp, while being designed specifically for hot climates. It was intended for the war against Japan in the Pacific but was not ready before hostilities ended. Farand-Delorme built one prototype and three pilot models in 1945 and 1946. They were used to gain design experience and explore possible future roles, and by January 1948 the army had decided it had no requirement for the type.

Design

The Muskrat was unarmoured, with the driver as its only crew member, seated centrally at the front of the hull. A modified Cadillac V8 of 346 cu in and 143 hp, taken from the M5 or M24 tank, drove through a Hydra-Matic gearbox and a modified T-16 carrier controlled-differential steering unit. Afloat, a V-belt and spiral-bevel gear drive turned two 20-inch propellers. It reached 30 mph (48 km/h) on land and 3.5 mph (5.6 km/h) on water, and could carry a 3,000 lb (1,360 kg) payload. It weighed 10,350 lb (4,695 kg) empty and was 189 in (4.8 m) long with its flotation cell retracted, or 207 in extended, and 111 in (2.82 m) wide.

Trials

The Muskrat was tested on land at the Canadian Army's LETE establishment, in the water at Dow's Lake and on the Rideau Canal in Ottawa in 1946, and at Churchill, Manitoba. Fully loaded, it still had about 12 inches of freeboard amidships. The trials revealed track cross-link failures caused by incorrectly fitted bolts, repeated sprocket failures, and thin hull walls that flexed alarmingly and threw the suspension out of line. Minor leaks were handled by a continuously driven bilge pump. The vehicle was judged satisfactory in performance but unreliable.