Terrapin (amphibious vehicle)

Infobox Weapon
name=Terrapin


caption=Terrapin (to the left) during the Battle of the Scheldt in the Netherlands, 1944.
origin=UK
type=Armoured personnel carrier
is_vehicle=yes
is_UK=yes

number=200
crew= 2
length= 7.01 m
width= 2.67 m
height= 2.92 m
weight= 7 tonnes
armour= mm
primary_armament= none
secondary_armament= none
engine= 2 x Ford V8
engine_power= 190 hp ( kW) in total
suspension=
speed= 24 km/h, 5 mph in water
pw_ratio= hp/tonne
vehicle_range= 240 km

The Terrapin "4-ton amphibian" was a British manufactured, amphibious armoured transport 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.

Development

Due to a shortage of US manufactured DUKWs the British Ministry of Supply commissioned Thornycroft to design an amphibian capable of ferrying supplies and troops from ship to shore for the D-Day landings.Brissette, Richard and Bannerman, Mark: "The Terrapin", Military Modelling Magazine, 29 Feb 2008, page 60.] 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.

Design of the Mark 1

The Terrapin was a high open topped vehicle; high because of the size of the tyres. The vehicle had full drive to all eight wheels powered by two Ford V8 engines, mounted side by side with each motor driving one side. When being driven on a level surface the vehicle was supported on the four middle wheels, with the front and rear wheels clear of the surface. 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.

The vehicle had a number of defects:
*It used lever steering, which made it very difficult to handle in rough water.
*The driver had poor visibility as he was located in 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.
*The 4-ton of the name indicated that it could carry a load of 4 long tons but the physical size of the load was limited as the load space was split into a front and rear area due to the engines having been placed in the centre of the vehicle for stability.

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 long compared with the 23 ft length of the Mark 1.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=history/secondwar/netherlands/scheldt Scheldt crossing]
* [http://www.veteransagency.mod.uk/pdfolder/60th_anniversary/scheldt.pdf PDF Document describing crossings]
* [http://www.corazzati.it/scheda_terrapin.htm Some information but in Italian]

ee also

*DUKW
*Landing Vehicle Tracked known as (Water) Buffalo in British service.