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Terrapin (amphibious vehicle)
Encyclopedia
The Terrapin "4-ton amphibian" was a British
-manufactured, amphibious armour
ed transport vehicle of the Second World War. It was first used at Antwerp in 1944, and to great effect during the Battle of the Scheldt
.
The Terrapin served with the assault teams of Royal Engineers
as part of the 79th Armoured Division
. They were used to carry infantry units (Canadian and British) over the rivers.
s the British Ministry of Supply commissioned Thornycroft
to design an amphibious vehicle
capable of ferrying supplies and troops from ship to shore for the D-Day landings.
Some 500 Terrapin Mark 1 were built by Morris Commercial
, the commercial vehicle side of the Morris Motor Company
.
A Mark 2 Terrapin with a number of improvements reached the prototype stage but the war ended before it entered production.
Despite success in its first military action, the Terrapin was not an overall successful design, and had many significant defects which were never overcome in service.
One interesting feature was that when being driven on a level surface the vehicle was supported on the four middle wheels, the front and rear wheels remaining clear of the surface (the front pair being raised significantly, the rear pair only slightly). The front and rear wheels provided support and traction on soft surfaces and when climbing slopes such as riverbanks. When driven in the water it was propelled by two rear-mounted propellers.
These failings quickly led to the abandonment of the design in favor of the development of the Mark 2, but the growing availability of large numbers of the much more successful American DUKW
made further development unnecessary.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-manufactured, amphibious armour
Armour
Armour or armor is protective covering used to prevent damage from being inflicted to an object, individual or a vehicle through use of direct contact weapons or projectiles, usually during combat, or from damage caused by a potentially dangerous environment or action...
ed transport vehicle of the Second World War. It was first used at Antwerp in 1944, and to great effect during the Battle of the Scheldt
Battle of the Scheldt
The Battle of the Scheldt was a series of military operations of the Canadian 1st Army, led by Lieutenant-General Guy Simonds. The battle took place in northern Belgium and southwestern Netherlands during World War II from 2 October-8 November 1944...
.
The Terrapin served with the assault teams of Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
as part of the 79th Armoured Division
79th Armoured Division
The 79th Armoured Division was a specialist British Army armoured formation created as part of the preparations for the Normandy invasion of 6 June 1944...
. They were used to carry infantry units (Canadian and British) over the rivers.
Development
Due to a shortage of US-manufactured DUKWDUKW
The DUKW is a six-wheel-drive amphibious truck that was designed by a partnership under military auspices of Sparkman & Stephens and General Motors Corporation during World War II for transporting goods and troops over land and water and for use approaching and crossing beaches in amphibious...
s the British Ministry of Supply commissioned Thornycroft
Thornycroft
Thornycroft was a United Kingdom-based vehicle manufacturer which built coaches, buses, and trucks from 1896 until 1977.-History:Thornycroft started out with steam vans and lorries. John Isaac Thornycroft, the naval engineer, built his first steam lorry in 1896...
to design an amphibious vehicle
Amphibious vehicle
An amphibious vehicle , is a vehicle or craft, that is a means of transport, viable on land as well as on water – just like an amphibian....
capable of ferrying supplies and troops from ship to shore for the D-Day landings.
Some 500 Terrapin Mark 1 were built by Morris Commercial
Morris Commercial Cars
Morris Commercial Cars Limited was a British manufacturer of commercial vehicles founded by William Morris, who was also the founder of the Morris Motor Company.-History:...
, the commercial vehicle side of the Morris Motor Company
Morris Motor Company
The Morris Motor Company was a British car manufacturing company. After the incorporation of the company into larger corporations, the Morris name remained in use as a marque until 1984 when British Leyland's Austin Rover Group decided to concentrate on the more popular Austin marque...
.
A Mark 2 Terrapin with a number of improvements reached the prototype stage but the war ended before it entered production.
Design of the Mark 1
- Because of the size of the tyres, the Terrapin was a relatively high vehicle and. though open-topped, it was difficult to enter and exit. Any soldier attempting to exit over the side faced both prolonged exposure to enemy fire as well as possible injury from the fall.
- More important, like the Medium Mark A Whippet tank of WWI, the Terrapin had drive to all eight wheels powered by two separate engines (both FordFord Motor CompanyFord Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
V8), mounted side-by-side with each motor driving the wheels on one side, controlled by lever steering. This arrangement did not work on the Whippet, and failed on the Terrapin as well. If one engine broke down the Terrapin tended to swing around violently. - The two centrally located engines also split the cargo compartment in two, and though rated as a 4-ton vehicle, this prevented large loads such as heavy artillery or vehicles from being carried.
- In use the vehicle was found to be rather slow, and was easily swamped in rough seas.
- In addition, the driver had poor visibility as he was centrally located inside the middle of the vehicle. This was compounded by the installation of a canvas cover over the forward hold. As a result another crew member typically had to stand behind the driver and provide directions.
One interesting feature was that when being driven on a level surface the vehicle was supported on the four middle wheels, the front and rear wheels remaining clear of the surface (the front pair being raised significantly, the rear pair only slightly). The front and rear wheels provided support and traction on soft surfaces and when climbing slopes such as riverbanks. When driven in the water it was propelled by two rear-mounted propellers.
These failings quickly led to the abandonment of the design in favor of the development of the Mark 2, but the growing availability of large numbers of the much more successful American DUKW
DUKW
The DUKW is a six-wheel-drive amphibious truck that was designed by a partnership under military auspices of Sparkman & Stephens and General Motors Corporation during World War II for transporting goods and troops over land and water and for use approaching and crossing beaches in amphibious...
made further development unnecessary.
Design of the Mark 2
This was similar to the Mark 1 but had a forward driving position. It was a much longer vehicle, being 31 feet (9.4 m) long compared with the 23 feet (7 m) length of the Mark 1.Survivors
Kevin Wheatcroft, a collector in Great Britain, is known as being the owner of an unrestored Terrapin Mk1. John Belfield, a collector in Australia, also owns a Terrapin wreck, which still carries the original Australian Registration Number (ARN) 149391.External links
See also
- DUKWDUKWThe DUKW is a six-wheel-drive amphibious truck that was designed by a partnership under military auspices of Sparkman & Stephens and General Motors Corporation during World War II for transporting goods and troops over land and water and for use approaching and crossing beaches in amphibious...
- Landing Vehicle TrackedLanding Vehicle TrackedThe Landing Vehicle Tracked was a class of amphibious vehicles introduced by the United States Navy, Marine Corps and Army during World War II. Originally intended solely as cargo carriers for ship to shore operations, they rapidly evolved into assault troop and fire support vehicles as well...
, known as (Water) Buffalo in British service.