I helped to launch them as a signal/guide in the well deck in the 80s. The well would be about 1/4 empty and those drivers just quit listening and took off as fast as they could go. You learned real fast to just get out of the way. We used to see alot of hatches open when they came back in with crew puking over the side. I would hate to the grunt passengers.
National Guard story. 1980, Annual Training at Fort Hood, a mechanized infantry battalion doing river crossing operations, one M113 had two chaplains in back. When in Lake Belton, the APC began taking on water through the ramp seal. Quickly taking on water. The chaplains, the track commander and the driver exited the APC. The track sank. Everybody was rescued. Since there were chaplains on board, somebody said the sinking was a commo check with their higher.
I was a tracker in the late 80's, early 90's and Im sure there are some unfortunates in the back that will need stitches. Lots to bang into when it lands..... I remember one marine with a perfect circle imprinted in his forehead from hitting a round engine cover hatch turns crew. You could see the bevel and textured knurl imprints. Stitches and a sever headache and that was just from going across a high set of train tracks. Pendleton had these great canyons and you could run down them at what felt like 90 degrees. There a re fuel pumps inside the fuel tanks that are spaced to get fuel no matter what angle you were in
Hope they have great seats. The human body can withstand deceleration from the front up to about 40 Gs. From a drop only about 6 Gs and there is a good chance of being paralyzed.
Something tells me that this is the voice of experience talking.....
ReplyDeleteLol!
Proving grounds?
ReplyDeleteReminder of back in the early 60s the Amtracs we occupied when they drove off the well-deck of an LSD into 40 ft. of ocean. Holy shit!
ReplyDeleteI helped to launch them as a signal/guide in the well deck in the 80s. The well would be about 1/4 empty and those drivers just quit listening and took off as fast as they could go. You learned real fast to just get out of the way. We used to see alot of hatches open when they came back in with crew puking over the side. I would hate to the grunt passengers.
DeleteI'm guessing that's a Mexican rig. And yeah, they drive like that around here, too.
ReplyDeleteNational Guard story. 1980, Annual Training at Fort Hood, a mechanized infantry battalion doing river crossing operations, one M113 had two chaplains in back. When in Lake Belton, the APC began taking on water through the ramp seal. Quickly taking on water. The chaplains, the track commander and the driver exited the APC. The track sank. Everybody was rescued. Since there were chaplains on board, somebody said the sinking was a commo check with their higher.
ReplyDeleteI was a tracker in the late 80's, early 90's and Im sure there are some unfortunates in the back that will need stitches. Lots to bang into when it lands..... I remember one marine with a perfect circle imprinted in his forehead from hitting a round engine cover hatch turns crew. You could see the bevel and textured knurl imprints. Stitches and a sever headache and that was just from going across a high set of train tracks. Pendleton had these great canyons and you could run down them at what felt like 90 degrees. There a re fuel pumps inside the fuel tanks that are spaced to get fuel no matter what angle you were in
ReplyDeleteHope they have great seats. The human body can withstand deceleration from the front up to about 40 Gs. From a drop only about 6 Gs and there is a good chance of being paralyzed.
ReplyDeleteThe other Rick