LVT(1) AMTRAC.
LVT(1) AMTRAC training at Hampton Roads, VA durng WW II.
LVT(1) AMTRAC exhibited by manufacturer (FMC) in 1941 parade, Lakeland, FL.
USMC LVT(1) amphibian tractors move toward the beach on Guadalcanal, probably during the 7-9 August 1942 initial landings. Ship in the background is USS President Hayes (AP-39).
The LVT(1) was directly derived from the Roebling Alligator, but fabricated from sheet steel instead of aluminum used in prototypes and with other improvement identified during Marine Corps tests. It was often called the AMTRAC for Amphibian Tractor.
The first LVT(1) units were not armored and carried no weapons, being used as logistic support vehicles only. At the Battle of Tarawa (November 1943), bolted on armor plate was used and the vehicles were equipped with one to four .30 cal. machine guns. The first production LVT(1) rolled off the Food Machinery Corporation's (FMC) assembly line in July 1941 and the last in 1943.
The LVT-1 was powered by a 6 cylinder, 146 hp Hercules engine that drove it at a land speed of up to 18 mph and water speed of 7 mph. The LVT(1) tracks were endless chains fitted with cleats, used both in the water and on land.
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