Amphibious vehicle An amphibious vehicle ( or simply amphibian ) , is a vehicle that is a means of transport , viable on land as well as on ( or under ) water . Amphibious vehicles include amphibious bicycles , ATV s , cars , bus es , trucks , military vehicle s , and hovercraft . Classic landing craft are not amphibious vehicles as they don ' t offer any real land transportation at all , although they " are " part of amphibious assault . Ground effect vehicle s , such as Ekranoplan s , will likely crash on any but the flattest of landmasses so are also not considered to be amphibious vehicles . General technical notes . Apart from the distinction in sizes mentioned above , two main categories of amphibious vehicle are immediately apparent : those that travel on an air - cushion ( Hovercraft ) and those that don ' t . Amongst the latter , many designs were prompted by the desire to expand the off - road capabilities of land - vehicles to an " all - terrain " ability , in some cases not only focused on creating a transport that will work on land and water , but also on intermediates like ice , snow , mud , marsh , swamp etc . This explains why many designs use tracks in addition to or instead of wheels , and in some cases even resort to articulated body configurations or other unconventional designs such as screw - propelled vehicle s which use auger - like barrels which propel a vehicle through muddy terrain with a twisting motion . , Most land vehicles – even lightly armoured ones – can be made amphibious simply by providing them with a waterproof hull and perhaps a propeller . This is possible as a vehicle ' s displacement is usually greater than its weight , and thus will float . Heavily armoured vehicles however sometimes have a density greater than water ( their weight in kilograms exceeds their volume in litres ) , and will need additional buoyancy measures . These can take the form of inflatable floatation devices , much like the sides of a rubber dinghy , or a waterproof fabric skirt raised from the top perimeter of the vehicle . For propulsion in or on the water some vehicles simply make do by spinning their wheels or tracks , while others can power their way forward more effectively using ( additional ) screw propeller ( s ) or water jet ( s ) . Most amphibians will work only as a displacement hull when in the water – only a small number of designs have the capability to raise out of the water when speed is gained , to achieve high velocity hydroplaning , skimming over the water surface like speedboats . History . Some of the earliest known amphibious vehicles were amphibious carriages , the invention of which is credited to the notorious Neapolitan Prince Raimondo di Sangro of Sansevero ( ca . 1750 ) or ( 1781 ) . The first known self - propelled amphibious vehicle , a steam - powered wheeled dredging barge , named the " Orukter Amphibolos " , was conceived and built by United States inventor Oliver Evans in 1805 , although it is disputed to have successfully travelled over land or water under its own steam . Gail Borden , better known for condensed milk , designed and tested a sail powered wagon in 1849 . On testing it reportedly tipped over 50 feet from shore , from an apparent lack of ballast to counteract the force of the wind in the sail . In the 1870s , logging companies in eastern Canada and the northern United States developed an steam - powered amphibious tug called an " Alligator " which could cross between lakes and rivers . The most successful Alligator tugs were produced by the firm of West and Peachey in Simcoe , Ontario . Until the late 1920s the efforts to unify a boat and an automobile mostly came down to simply putting wheels and axles on a boat hull , or getting a rolling chassis to float by blending a boat - like hull with the car ' s frame . One of the first reasonably well documented cases was the 1905 amphibious petrol - powered carriage of T . Richmond ( Jessup , Iowa , USA ) . Just like the world ' s first petrol - powered automobile ( 1885 , Carl Benz ) it was a three - wheeler . The single front wheel provided direction , both on land and in the water . A three - cylinder petrol combustion - engine powered the oversized rear wheels . In order to get the wheels to provide propulsion in the water , fins or buckets would be attached to the rear wheel spokes . Remarkably the boat - like hull was one of the first integral bodies ever used on a car . Since the 1920s many diverse amphibious vehicles designs have been created for a broad range of applications , including recreation , expeditions , search & rescue , and military , leading to a myriad of concepts and variants . In some of them the amphibious capabilities are central to their purpose , whereas in others they are only an expansion to what has remained primarily a watercraft or a land vehicle . The design that came together with all the features needed for a practical all terrain amphibious vehicle was by Peter Prell of New Jersey . His design , unlike others , could operate not only on rivers and lakes but the sea and did not require firm ground to enter or exit the water . It combined a boat - like hull with tank - like tracks . In 1931 he tested a scaled down version of his invention . Recently , Gibbs Amphibians has developed a new type of amphibian , one capable of high speeds on both land and water . The vehicles use a patented hydraulic system to raise the wheels into the wheel wells , allowing the vehicles to plane on water . The vehicles can transition between land and water modes in about five seconds . The first Gibbs fast amphibian is the Quadski , introduced in October 2012 . It went on sale in January 2013 . Wheeled . Unarmored . ATVs . Amongst the smallest non air - cushioned amphibious vehicles are amphibious ATVs ( all - terrain vehicles ) . These saw significant popularity in North America during the 1960s and early 70s . Typically an amphibious ATV ( AATV ) is a small , lightweight , off - highway vehicle , constructed from an integral hard plastic or fibreglass bodytub , fitted with six ( sometimes eight ) driven wheels , with low pressure , balloon tires . With no suspension ( other than what the tires offer ) and no steering wheels , directional control is accomplished through skid - steering – just as on a tracked vehicle – either by braking the wheels on the side where you want to turn , or by applying more throttle to the wheels on the opposite side . Most contemporary designs use garden tractor type engines , that will provide roughly 25 mph top speed on land . Constructed this way , an AATV will float with ample freeboard and is capable of traversing swamps , ponds and streams as well as dry land . On land these units have high grip and great off - road ability , that can be further enhanced with an optional set of tracks that can be mounted directly onto the wheels . Although the spinning action of the tires is enough to propel the vehicle through the water – albeit slowly – outboard motors can be added for extended water use . In October 2013 , Gibbs Amphibians introduced the long - awaited Quadski , the first amphibious vehicle capable of traveling 45 mph on land or water . The Quadski was developed using Gibbs ' High Speed Amphibian technology , which Gibbs originally developed for the Aquada , an amphibious car , which the company has still not produced because of regulatory issues . Cars . Amphibious automobiles have been conceived from ca . 1900 , however the Second World War significantly stimulated their development . Two of the most significant amphibious cars to date were developed during World War II . The most proliferous was the German " Schwimmwagen " , a small jeep - like 4x4 vehicle designed by the Porsche engineering firm in 1942 and widely used in World War II . The amphibious bodywork was designed by Erwin Komenda , the firm ' s body construction designer , using the engine and drive train of the " Kübelwagen " . An amphibious version of the Willys MB jeep , the Ford GPA or " ' Seep ' " ( short for " Sea jeep " ) was developed during World War II as well . A specially modified GPA , called Half - Safe , was driven and sailed around the world by Australian Ben Carlin in the 1950s . One of the most capable post - war amphibious off - roaders was the German Amphi - Ranger , that featured a hull made of seawater - resistant AlMg2 aluminium alloy . Extensively engineered , this costly vehicle was proven seaworthy at a Gale force 10 storm off the North Sea coast ( Pohl , 1998 ) . Only about 100 were built – those who own one have found it capable of crossing the English Channel almost effortlessly . Purely recreational amphibian cars include the 1960s Amphicar and the contemporary Gibbs Aquada . With almost 4 . 000 pieces built , the Amphicar is still the most successfully produced civilian amphibious car to date . The Gibbs Aquada stands out due to its capability of high speed planing on water . Gibbs built fifty Aquadas in the early 2000s after it was developed by a team assembled by founder Alan Gibbs before the company ' s engine supplier , Rover , was unable to continue providing engines . Gibbs and new partner Neil Jenkins reconstituted the company and are now seeking U . S . regulatory approval for the Aquada Other amphibious cars include the US Hydra Spyder and the Spira4u . Cycles . An amphibious cycle is a human - powered vehicle capable of operation on both land and water . " Saidullah ’ s Bicycle " uses four rectangular air filled floats for buoyancy , and is propelled using two fan blades which are attached to the spokes . " Moraga ’ s Cyclo Amphibious " uses a simple tricycle frame to support three floaters which provide both the floatation and thrust . The wings on the powered wheels propel the vehicle in a similar way to a paddle wheel . The SBK Engineering Shuttle - Bike consists of 2 inflatable floats with straps that allow the carrying of a bicycle with passenger . The ensemble , when deflated , fits in a backpack for carrying by the cyclist . Several amphibious cycles have been created by engineering students as university projects . Buses . Amphibious buses are employed in some locations as a tourist attraction . A recent design is the AmphiCoach GTS - 1 . Jersey Heritage employs two amphibians , " Charming Betty " and " Charming Nancy " , to carry passengers between Saint Helier and Elizabeth Castle . The amphibians either run on the tidal flats when the tide is out , or move through the water when the tide is in , weather and sea conditions permitting . A one - way trip when the tide is high takes about 15 minutes . Oyster boats . Since 1977 , several boat builders in Brittany have built specialized amphibious vehicles for use in the area ' s mussel and oyster farming industries . The boats are made of aluminium , are relatively flat - bottomed , and have three , four , or six wheels , depending on the size of the boat . When the tide is out the boats can run on the tidal flats using their wheels . When the tide is in , they use a propeller to move themselves through the water . Oyster farmers in Jersey make use of similar boats . Currently , " Constructions Maritimes du Vivier Amphibie " has a range of models . Trucks and barges . With more than 20 , 000 units produced , the DUKW was the most successful amphibious truck of World War II . This 6x6 truck was used to establish and supply beachheads . It was designed as a wartime project by Sparkman & Stephens , a yacht design firm who also designed the hull for the Ford GPA ' Seep ' . During the war , Germany produced the " Landwasserschlepper " . In the 1950s , the Soviets developed the GAZ 46 , BAV 485 , and PTS . During the Vietnam War , the US Army used the amphibious articulated Gama Goat and the larger M520 Goer truck - series to move supplies through the canals and rice paddies of Southeast Asia . The latter was based on a 1950s civil construction vehicle and became the US Army ’ s standard heavy tactical truck before its replacement by the HEMTT . Although the vehicles ' wheels were mounted without suspension or steering action , and land speeds over 20 mph were ill - advised , its articulated design provided it with good maneuverability and helped it to keep all four wheels firmly in touch with uneven ground . Coupled with its amphibious capability , in the Vietnam War , the M520 Goer developed a reputation of being able to go where other trucks could not . For taking vehicles and supplies onto the beaches the US used the 1950s designed LARC - V and the huge LARC - LX which could carry 60 tons of cargo . The British Army used the 6x6 wheeled Alvis Stalwart as their amphibious cargo carrier . In the water vectored thrust water - jet propulsion units drove it along at about 6 knots . The M3 Amphibious Rig can be used as a ferry or as a floating bridge for trucks and heavy combat vehicles . Gibbs has also developed other types of fast amphibians including the Phibian , a 30 - foot amphibian that is aimed at first responder market , and the Humdinga , a 21 - foot amphibian that is capable of traversing extreme terrain . Armored . Many modern military vehicles , ranging from light wheeled command and reconnaissance vehicles , through armoured personnel carrier s ( APCs ) and tanks , are manufactured with amphibious capabilities . The French VBL is a compact , lightly armored 4x4 all - terrain vehicle that is fully amphibious and can swim at 5 . 4 km / h . The VAB is a French fully amphibious APC , powered in the water by two water jets , mounted one on either side of the rear hull ( see detail picture above ) . It entered service in 1976 and around 5000 were produced in many configurations . During the Cold War the Soviet bloc states developed a number of amphibious APCs , fighting vehicles and tanks , both wheeled and tracked . Most of the vehicles the Soviets designed were amphibious , or could ford deep water . Wheeled examples are the BRDM - 1 and BRDM - 2 4x4 armored scout cars , as well as the BTR - 60 , BTR - 70 , BTR - 80 and BTR - 94 8x8 APCs and the BTR - 90 infantry fighting vehicle . Tracked . Unarmored . The M29 Weasel ( Studebaker Weasel ) , whilst originally designed as a snow vehicle , operated successfully in amphibious role by the addition of front and rear floats . The basic vehicle will float but its bow is square so the additional floats add stability and load carrying capacity . Armored . Among tracked armored vehicles with amphibious capabilities include those that are intended for use in amphibious assault . The United States started developing a long line of LVT ( Landing Vehicle Tracked ) designs from ca . 1940 . Many tracked armored vehicles that are primarily intended for land - use , such as armoured fighting vehicle s and armoured personnel carrier s nevertheless also have amphibious ability , tactically useful inland , reducing dependence on destroyable and easily - targeted bridges . To provide motive power , they use their tracks , sometimes with added propeller or water jets . As long as the opposite bank has a shallow enough slope for the vehicle to climb out within a few miles , they can cross rivers and water obstacles . American examples are the M113 Armored Personnel Carrier and the M2 Bradley . Soviet examples are the PT - 76 amphibious tank , and the BTR - 50 and MT - LB APCs based on its chassis . Some heavy tanks have an amphibious mode in which a fabric skirt is needed to add buoyancy . The Sherman DD tank used in the D - Day invasion had this setup . When in water the waterproof float screen was raised and propellers deployed . The M2 and M3 Bradleys also need such a skirt . Tanks . At the end of World War I a Mark IX tank had airdrums attached to the side and was tested as an Amphibious vehicle . In World War II the British further developed amphibious tanks . The Crusader was trialled with two pontoons that could be attached or removed , the tracks driving the tank in the water . The " Medium Tank A / T 1 " was a tank with inbuilt buoyancy some 24 ft long and 11 ft tall . The Valentine , then the M4 Medium tank were made amphibious with the addition of a rubberized canvas screen to provide additional buoyancy and propellers driven by the main engine to give propulsion . These were DD tank s ( from " Duplex Drive " ) and the Sherman DD was used on D - Day to provide close fire support on the beaches during the initial landings . The Sherman DD could not fire when afloat as the buoyancy screen was higher than the gun . A number swamped and sank in the operation , due to rough weather in the English Channel ( with some tanks having been launched too far out ) , and to turning in the current to converge on a specific point on the battlefield , which allowed waves to breach over the screens . Those making it ashore , however , provided essential fire support in the first critical hours . Before World War II , The Soviets produced light amphibious tanks called T - 37 and T - 38 . A third serial model , T - 40 , started production after the beginning of the war . A 14 ton tank , PT - 1 was created , but was not mass - produced . In addition , an attempt was made to attach pontoons to T - 26 . While successful , the project was closed due to the high vulnerability and unwieldiness of the construction . Some light tank s such as the PT - 76 are amphibious , typically being propelled in the water by hydrojet s or by their tracks . In 1969 , the U . S . Army rushed the new M551 Sheridan to Vietnam . This 17 ton light tank was built with an aluminium hull , steel turret and gun ( although the 152 mm gun was called a " launcher " at the time ) , and could swim across bodies of water . The M551 upon arrival in Vietnam began replacing the M48A3 Patton in all cavalry squadrons , leaving only the M48A3 in the U . S . Army ' s three armored battalions in Vietnam , the 1 / 77th , 1 / 69th , and the 2 / 34th Armor . The Sheridan needed no modifications for river crossings , crewmen simply raised the cloth sides that were tucked inside rubber tubes along the hull ' s upper edges , raised the driver ' s front shield which had an acrylic glass window , the driver turned on his bilge pumps , shifted his transmission lever to water operations and the Sheridan entered the water . For newly arrived Sheridans , this might work as engineered . For " war weary " M551s , the driver ' s window was often " yellowed " and / or cracked as to obscure his vision , and the rubber tubes that contained the rolled up side sleeves were often cracked and / or frozen into place . The Sheridan could still cross a body of water , but like its swimming cousin , the M113 APC ( Armoured Personnel Carrier , also built of aluminium ) the river had to be narrow , less than . In all cases , the bilge pumps had to be working properly , and even then by the time the Sheridan or the APC reached the other side , water would often fill the insides up to their armoured roofs , spilling through the hatches ' cracks and emptying onto the earth once safely ashore . Often a fold down trim vane is erected to stop water washing over the bow of the tank and thus reducing the risk of the vehicle being swamped " via " the driver ' s hatch . Multi - unit . The unique capability that distinguishes multi - unit vehicles from single unit ones , is the ability to " help each other . " According to a 1999 article in Military Parade magazine , multi - unit , all - terrain transport vehicles were first proposed by the British in 1913 , and by the 1950s , over 40 types of articulated tracked vehicles ( " ATVs " ) were in production . The articulated tracked concept is chosen primarily for its combination of high maneuverability , cross - country abilities , and remarkable load - carrying capacity . In some cases the design is made amphibious , giving them all - terrain capability in the truest sense . Usually the front unit houses at least the engine , gearboxes , fuel tank ( s ) and the driver ' s compartment , and perhaps there is some space left for cargo or passengers , whereas the rear unit is the primary load carrier . Examples of this concept are the Russian Vityaz , Swedish Volvo Bv202 and Hagglunds Bv206 designs , and the Bronco ATTC of Singapore . A highly specialised development is the Arktos expedition and evacuation craft , that uses a linkage with " two " joints to connect the two units , as well as fitting each unit with its own engine , to give each unit enhanced independence of movement . Deep fording . Some military vehicles are capable of " wading " using waterproof screens to keep the upper hull dry . In World War II the tanks following the Sherman DD s were given waterproofed hulls and trunking was fixed to the engine intakes and exhausts to allow them to come ashore from landing craft in shallow water . The Germans gave their Tiger tank a long snorkel , essentially a long tube on the commander ' s hatch that allowed it to wade through four metres of water . The Leopard 2 tank can use a series of rings which to create a long tube . This tube is then fitted to the crew commander ' s hatch and provides air and an escape route for the crew . The height of the tube is limited to around three meters . The Russian T - 90 tank is also able to perform deep fording operations . The Russian snorkel is only a few inches round and does not provide a crew escape path , but it can be stored on the tank . Hovercraft . An air - cushion vehicle ( ACV ) or hovercraft can travel over land or water supported by a cushion of air ejected downwards against the surface below it . In principle a hovercraft can travel over any sufficiently smooth surface , solid , liquid , mixed , or anything in between . Large hovercraft , riding on an air - cushion contained by skirts several meters tall , can deal with obstacles 1 to 2 meters in height . The smallest personal hovercraft are nimble enough to follow some rolling of the terrain . One of the benefits of this type of amphibious craft is the possibility of making them large — the British - built SR . N4 Mk . 3 ferries could carry dozens of vehicles . ACVs have a high speed over water ( an SR . N4 Mk . 1 could do 83 knots ( 95 mph or 154 km / h ) ) and can make the transition between land and water at speed — unlike most wheeled or tracked amphibians . Drawbacks are high fuel consumption and noise levels . For some military applications wheeled and tracked amphibious vehicles are slowly being supplanted by air - cushioned landing craft . The hovercraft ' s ability to distribute its laden weight evenly across the surface below it makes it well suited to the role of amphibious landing craft . The US Navy LCAC can take troops and materials ( if necessary an M1 Abrams tank ) from ship to shore and can access more than 70 % of the world ' s coastline , as opposed to conventional landing craft , that have only about 17 % of that coastline available to them for landing .