Those are LARC’s - They’re NOT new.
They pulled the NTSB (Brian Young) from the Bouchard Hearing and sent him up there.
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If you are talking about the ones used for Duck Tours in Singapore, I did not believe (or state) that they were new. In fact I thought they originated from USA and was of the WWII model, like the one that sunk three days ago:
Apparently they are actually built in 1970’s for use by the Singapore Armed Forces, according to the article you linked to:
The Splash buses used in Rotterdam and elsewhere are of much newer design and built for the tourist market: http://www.datbv.com/
The DAT bv link is not working here, blank page no content.
I have seen those damn things in San Diego, Philly and Seattle and never bothered with them because I’m not really into boat tours. I did some reading about their use in WWII. They were instrumental in the invasion of Sicily. Patton used the hell out of them. However, they were used more or less as designed and were not heavily modified as these tour boats are. I understand that there have been wartime mishaps with them and that a number of them litter European lakes and the bottom of the Med. That does not mean they were or are inherently unseaworthy, though.
I’m with the NTSB in that the canopies are an issue that must be addressed. You’ve added sail area and raised the center of gravity. With the canopy it’s also now harder to egress the boat. I think if the ducks are to continue, the canopies ought to come off, make it an open boat and require life jackets worn during the ride. Some of the tour companies do that now.
No it is not to continue. This idiocy needs to be shut down, never to return, canopy or no canopy. The mere existence and usage of these boats in 2018 is almost Kafka-esque.
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No luck but I discovered that Java is required for this website. Safari and Firefox on my iPad cannot handle that. The Puffin browser can and accordingly the website can be seen now.
I saw one in Galveston a few weeks back. The wife asked about it and I called it a deathtrap. Guess I am right.
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I’ve seen these things operate and even on a nice day they look marginal. The president of the company’s statement that the storm “came out of nowhere” is laughable if it wasn’t so tragic. The weather services had been monitoring this system for several hours.
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Interesting article. IMHO these things are marginal on a calm day. A quote from a buddy applies here. I was complaining about delivering a WW II era airplane once that had got barely adequate maintenance over the decades and my friend said “Those things were dangerous when they were NEW”
If they are banned, then someone will want to build another amphibious craft to replace it.
which is exactly what needs to happen but the operators are all going to howl about how much that is going to cost them and whine to the CG about how they will all go out of business if they must buy all new craft WHICH IS NOT ANYTHING THE USCG IS SUPPOSED TO BE CONCERNED WITH!
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Oh I agree that 70 plus year old military surplus should head to the scrap heap or the museum. We all know what happened when surplus tankers were modified and kept around past their usefulness. Lot of dead mariners.
I just don’t see it (a ban) happening. There have been several accidents with these things. The Seattle accident was due to failure of a wheel bearing or axle while the craft was being driven on a bridge. The damn things are still here. Think about this. The El Faro sank. A big hue and cry went up about aging ships and grandfathering, and rightly so. Americans still sail on 40 and 50 year old rust buckets. I am one of those people. Just color me cynical. The NTSB will issue findings, wrists will be slapped and things will go on.
I always hope I’m wrong. Just thinking about those little ones being swept away really saddens me and I hope this time it moves enough of the right people in the right direction.
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The idea should be that human life is more important than profit, however by the present profit and shareholders satisfaction driven society more and more profit is placed ahead of safety. That is why we need responsible government to defend public safety, but there seems to be a problem: do they really care?
If you just have to drive one of these things around, could I interest anyone in a large PFD?
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This is basically the same type as the one that sunk in the US , but with additional flotation added:
The same apply to most Duck Tours around the world:
Except in Rotterdam (See post 23 above): http://www.datbv.com/
I don’t understand the tourist fascination with DUCKS or for that matter why the CG continues to issue them certificates. They might have had a limited military purpose 75 years ago but they are a poor compromise that can’t function worth a damn in either capacity. It’s past time to toss them to the scrap heap of history.
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11:20am; Urgent – Immediate Broadcast Requested Severe Thunderstorm Watch
06:32pm; Urgent – Immediate Broadcast Requested Severe Thunderstorm Warning
07:09pm; Authorities received the first 911 call.
It’s been a Thunderstorm Watch from 11:20am but at 06:32pm, the broadcast alert change over from Watch to Warning. Is that change in denomination was emphasized, readily evident? By giving false alarms all day long, was the real alert no longer heard, no one reacts as no longer expects something to happen? Was that Squall Line sighted by eyesight only? When a front is moving at 50 MPH and is sighted at say 15M as the height of eye is very low, how many minutes do you have left to reach shelter or to cope with the COI? There were two boats sailing side by side. Were they both caught by surprise? The one who sank was a little bit more offshore while the other one was closer and was sailing in better sea conditions! Experience? What is the credidential needed to take command of a small passenger inland boat?
«Ride the Ducks is always looking for responsible individuals to join our team of Duck Captains. We typically hire from January through April, but if you missed being a Duck Captain this year, we can hold onto your resume until the next round of hiring.
Once you’re hired, you’ll complete a rigorous training program through which you’ll obtain both a United States Coast Guard Master’s license and a Washington State Commercial Driver’s license. However, to qualify for the program, we require that you have a significant amount of boating experience. Each applicant must be able to document at least one hundred twenty (120) total days of boating experience over their lifetime with at least forty-five (45) of those days in the last three (3) years. Documentation can be in the form of a USCG Sea Service form (available from the USCG here), a letter from the boat owner, or a letter from a former employer. If you’re not sure if you qualify, give us a call. Together, we can discuss your experience and see if you meet the requirements.»
… We require that you have a «significant» amount of boating experience of at least one hundred twenty (120) total days of boating experience over your lifetime … !
