LVT Alligator Tarawa WWII.htm

LVT(1)

( Landing Vehicle, Tracked )
aka: "Alligator"

ABOVE: LVT(1) Alligators waiting on the dock at Wellington, New Zealand, 20 JUL 1942.

ABOVE: LVT(1) Number 49, "My Deloris" at Tarawa. Notice the metal plates that have been welded over the front and side windows of the cabin. This field-modification was done to most of the Alligators, in New Zealand, after Guadalcanal and before Tarawa.

ABOVE: Two Alligators on the deck of the USS Monrovia, before Tarawa.

ABOVE: This modern photo, from Guadalcanal, provides a good view of the cabin entrance.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE LVT(1) AND THE LVT(2)

The LVT(1) has a flat-blade track design and the LVT(2) has a double-cupped track design. The track-types can be seen in many of the Green Beach photographs.

The LVT(1) was powered by a “straight-six” six-cylinder engine, similar to those found in automobiles or trucks.The LVT(2) was powered by an air-cooled, 7-cylinder radial engine, an unusual type normally found in aircraft.

The LVT(1) was significantly smaller than the LVT(2). The LVT(1) had a displacement of 16,900 pounds and LVT(2) had a displacement of 25,200 pounds.

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