Terrapin (amphibious vehicle)

Terrapin
A large, open-topped, eight-wheeled vehicle emerges from a body of water and is climbing up the bank and onto land; two men are on board it.
A Terrapin Mark 1 under test (October 1944)
TypeAmphibious load carrier
Place of originUnited Kingdom
Production history
DesignerThornycroft
ManufacturerMorris Commercial
Produced1943–1944 (Mark I)
No. built500
Specifications
Mass7 tonnes (6.9 long tons)
Length7.01 m (23 ft 0 in)
Width2.67 m (8 ft 9 in)
Height2.92 m (9 ft 7 in)
Crew2

Main
armament
None
Secondary
armament
None
Engine2 x Ford V8
190 horsepower (140 kW) in total
Power/weighthp/tonne
SuspensionNone
Operational
range
240 km
Maximum speed 24 km/h
5 mph (8.0 km/h) in water
Steering
system
Wheel braking

The Terrapin (officially 4-ton amphibian) was a British-manufactured amphibious transport vehicle of the Second World War. It was first used in 1944 at Antwerp during the Battle of the Scheldt.

Terrapins served with the Royal Engineer assault teams of the 79th Armoured Division and were used to carry infantry units (Canadian and British) over rivers.