Ducks back on water

THE accident prone amphibious Ducks, that have sunk and caught fire are being allowed back on the Thames for a three months trial.

The Maritime & Coastguard Agency has granted a safety certificate to allow them carry passengers for a trial three months on the Thames, Alan Tilbury tells us.

However, a report by the London Assembly recommends that all passengers on amphibious landing craft on the Thames should wear life jackets. The above picture is of the Duck sinking in the Thames, with the one below of the sinking in a a Liverpool dock.

Two sank

Two of the Ducks sank in a Liverpool Dock and one caught fire and sank in the Thames with 30 people on board, with passengers jumping into the river to escape the flames, though there were no fatalities.

A Marine Accident Investigation Branch issued a report stating that the sinkings in Liverpool were due to problems with foam. The Liverpool Ducks have not been reinstalled.

The Ducks are six wheels drive amphibious vehicles that can work on either land or water and were used during World War Two, particularly in the Normandy landings, being able to come out of the water and climb the beaches.