Posted on 01/15/2019 10:52:01 AM PST by rockinqsranch
"U.S. Army Maritime capabilities will be radically reduced this year as the service deactivates and divests itself of numerous vessels, watercraft equipment, watercraft systems, Soldiers, and Units. At least eighteen (18) of its 35 Landing Craft Utility (LCU) will be sold off or transferred to the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office (DRMO). Landing Craft Utility (LCU), a versatile 174- foot landing craft capable of carrying 500 tons of cargo, personnel and containers, is the workhorse of the Army Watercraft field."
(Excerpt) Read more at gcaptain.com ...
The Navy?
I haven’t a clue. The article is really kind of sketchy, and makes me wonder what the ‘H’ is going on.
So much for a sequel to The Wackiest Ship In The Army.
Wanted: Cheap boat with good motor...
When I was on Swift Boats in Nam, 1965-66, I was amazed at how many water craft the Army had.
More than once we had to go on a search for some poor sergeant, wandering around totally lost, or as one boat ‘commander’ told us when we found him, “I don’t navigates at night”.
The Marine Corps. Amphibious operations are our specialty. The Army is just getting back in their lane.
My older brother served on Swift boats in the same time frame as you.
Exactly. I’d rely on the Navy if I needed to get past the Do Lung Bridge.
How about we don't respond to or send any more humanitarian "aid?"
Next War they will have no need for boats or water craft..
There were a bunch of us during that time...BJK, (Before John Kerry).
If we have ships in disaster areas that are capable of rendering aid, they should respond because it's the right thing, the humanitarian thing to do. On the other hand, putting together a flotilla to bail out people half a world away who have been trained to not like us very much needs to be examined carefully.
In 2014, the Army had 118 watercraft. They're selling off their existing landing craft because they're old and worn-out and designed for a different era. In 2017 they let a contract for 36 new landing craft that will be a better complement to the new, heavier, armor-laden vehicles. Behemoths like the 74-ton M1 tank aside, the batteries the Army takes to war now weigh more than the small arms ammunition did in WWII.
For sale: surplus 26 foot Zodiacs , (olive drab, LMG side and bow mounts.
Buy 6 for $600.00!
I guess the Army is not planning on any seaborne invasions.Will the Army leadership ever learn?
Assumption for me here is that this is basically for freshwater riverine/lake use inland. I’m sure that they have other newer capabilities that they use instead of this stuff.
I know in Vietnam the Navy had riverine patrols they utilized. Great book about it by Cutler called Brown Water, Black Berets.
Cutler gave some outstanding speeches while teaching at USNA when I was a mid.
Everyone on Free Republic are qualified to be the Secretary of Defense. Not everyone gets a chance to serve in that position, but they are ready. And, they have opinions of how to do it, even if they have never heard of the Transportation Corps who have the mission of moving army men and their stuff from Point A to Point by land, water, and air. I used to have a shoe box where I kept my army men and all of their stuff, my own Transportation Corps.
Wanted: Good woman with boat and motor. Send pictures of boat...
I don’t care to expend American treasure and manpower to help others.
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