During the Vietnam War, the U.S. Army's inland watercraft, jokingly referred to as the smallest "aircraft carriers"
During the Vietnam War, the U.S. Navy initiated the development of inland watercraft, known as Program 4, which was designed to utilize existing landing craft to be converted into a variety of different types of inland watercraft, including the following The Armored Troop Carrier (ATC) was a specialized transport vessel.
Because of their larger size and more space, these ships could carry a larger amount of weaponry to support ground combat troops. After some research, the U.S. Navy decided to select the LCM-6 Mod 1 mechanized landing craft for conversion.
After a series of modifications, there was a huge difference between the ATC and the prototype LCM in terms of appearance, with the exception of the bow skips, there was basically no ****ing similarity between the two. In terms of size and tonnage, the ATC is significantly larger than the LCM, with a displacement of 70 tons, a length of 17 meters, a width of 5.3 meters and a draft of about 1 meter.
The crew of the ATC consisted of seven men, including the captain, coxswain, radioman, mechanic, and three gunners, and one ATC was capable of transporting a fully armed rifle platoon (40 men), while four were capable of transporting a full infantry company. In addition, the cargo hold could hold a 105 mm howitzer, an M113 APC, a 3/4 ton truck, or 11 tons of cargo.
The Type 1 ATC also had a variant that became an Armored Troop Carriers Helicopter (ATCH) by attaching a removable helicopter landing pad to the top of the cargo hold. The landing pad extends from the front of the cockpit to behind the bow ramp, where a Huey UH-1 helicopter, whose primary role is battlefield rescue, can land and take off. One or two of these helicopters will be assigned to each riverine assault squadron.
The boats are usually manned by a surgeon and a medic, hence the name "medevacs" or "medical boats". When fighting on the front line, the wounded from other ships or ground troops would receive first aid on board, stabilize their injuries, and then be transported by helicopter to a field hospital in the rear.
The helicopters can also perform supply and communications missions. three-quarters of the Type 2 ATCs in Program 5 were fitted with an armored landing platform and additional horizontal protection for the cargo hold, which can withstand 82mm mortar rounds. The platform can be accessed from two inclined escalators in the center of the hull, and there is also a vertical escalator to the helicopter platform at the bow near the diving board, with a hatch at the top of the escalator.
While the inland air platforms are not very stable, and care needs to be taken every time you take off and land, the presence of this ship does provide special facilities for riverine operations, and has been called the "world's smallest helicopter carrier".