|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
During the Korean War, the need for an improved amphibious vehicle became apparent. Gen. Frank Besson advocated for large, high-capacity vehicles capable of operating in inclement waters. With this in mind, the Pacific Car and Foundry Co. worked with offshore oil rig manufacturer LeTourneau Inc. to design and build four prototypes in the early 1950s, dubbing them “Barge, Amphibious Resupply, Cargo,” or “BARC.”
This is the third of the experimental designs, the 3-X, which was delivered to the Army for testing in November 1953. Designed to be loaded aboard massive cargo vessels before deploying to shore, the BARC could easily carry a fully equipped infantry company of 125 men or haul 60 tons of supply containers and vehicles in one trip. In addition to the four prototypes, 55 other hulls were eventually built. Although total production reached 60 vehicles, only about a dozen would be deployed at any one time.
By the dawn of the 21st century, only one unit, the 309th Transportation Company, 11th Transportation Battalion, maintained an active BARC. It was finally retired Oct. 15, 2001. The 3-X is one of the few BARCs on display and, because of its early acceptance by the Army just after the Korean War, is by far the oldest.
The 3-X served as a training craft for future BARC crew members for a decade. When the hull was pulled from active use in 1963, Fort Eustis preserved the prototype as an example, leading to its preservation and display today.
Everything else is just history
‘Hard to believe’: Two Redwood City residents died in Palo Alto motorcycle crashesAugust 28, 2026 5:04 pm
