4 x 4 Aqua Cheetah amphibious

[Jan Roelse]

Dear reseach colleques,
I found some date info about the first produced production model GPA.
Don't know of this is correct.
In "The American Ford" by Lorin Sorensen (page 241) the date is: Sept. 2, 1942.
"All American Wonder" by Ray Cowdery (page 26) date : Sept. 4, 1942
Once also a date August 28, 1942. What would be the right one?
B.t.w. In "River Rouge" by Joseph P. Cabadas ( page 89) even : "The first prototype nearly sank". Do you now this story?
In this book: March 12, 1943 (!?) ; 11 seeps were ready for testing on road course and in the waters of the Rouge boat slip.
(sure a print failure, can/must be Sept. 12, 1942 or so).J.R.
Jan

Edit: Message partly corrected after Ian's mail.

[Ian Grieve]

Jan

September 17, 1942, correspondence from Col. J.C. Raaen, Ordnance Dept. to Brig. Gen Lucius Clay, S.O.S. stated as follows;

“At Sept 15, 1942, 19 (GPA) units had been delivered. Ford had promised at a conference on Sept 11, 1942, to deliver 25 units by Sept 16, 1942, 100 units by Sept 25, 1942, and 200 units by Sept 30, 1942.”

I will have to dig out the River Rouge Factory daily production cards to determine the day the first standardized GPA rolled off the assembly line as well as the story of Pilot # 1 you mention. Meanwhile, the following site and excerpt is interesting and refers to the Ford Richmond Plant in San Francisco;

http://www.rosietheriveter.org/nps/Ford ... pter4B.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Another accident had occurred the previous month that reflected a different sort of laxity
as the war drew to a close. On April 14th, two Ford workers took an amphibian jeep for an
unauthorized cruise in the bay while a group of the vehicles was being prepared for shipment.
Ordnance and Ford managers had received instructions not to test the amphibians because they
were not yet ready for travel in water, but the workers evidently had not heard or heeded the
instructions. The amphibian jeep sank about 100 feet from shore in 30 feet of water. One
worker swam to shore, but the other had to be rescued by some nearby Signal Corpsmen. The
depot had to hire a barge and diver to locate and retrieve the jeep.115

115"Richmond Tank Depot, Vol. IV, 1 April to 30 June 1945," 21-23; "Richmond Tank Depot,
Vol. V, 1 July to 30 September 1945," 7.

There are a lot of stories.

Palmer C Putnam, N.D.R.C., the man largely responsible for the GPA (then later the DUKW), whilst Acting Head of Division 12 in February, 1945, whilst writing to his superior, Dr. Ward F Davidson, O.S.R.D. quoted “We had learned our lesson with the 1/4 ton amphibious jeep which we abandoned as a project the moment the production order was placed. The result of this was that the first 1000 amphibious jeeps sank: the tactical use was not generally understood within the services: and maintenance was negligible …………” . I (Ian) have seen no positive proof of this statement and it does appear a little stretched, however, all that Putnam records seems most factual.

Ian

[Ian Grieve]

Jan

Roderick (Rod) Stephens (Sparkman and Stephens) reported that GPA Pilot # 1 sank in the early morning on March 29, 1942, whilst at Fort Belvoir. The probable cause was a wheelchain hitting the left rear wheel recess. The engine stalled and the driver tied up the unit beside a barge and went home without reporting or taking any steps to stop it sinking.

Two days later, Putnam telephoned Col. Van Deusen (QMC) and told him “Pilot # 1 founded in the Potomac (River) last night after hiting a stump, but is being salvaged today.”

Another story.

Ian

[Jan Roelse]

Dear Ian,

Thank you for your most interesting doc's and GPA-stories.
If I have more info I will sure inform you or Jim by way of the forum!
Gr. Jan

[Jim Gilmore]

Palmer C Putnam, N.D.R.C., the man largely responsible for the GPA (then later the DUKW), whilst Acting Head of Division 12 in February,...."

Putnam was a project manager...not an Engineer or designer of this vehicle.

He was also working with Studebaker at this time on the Weasel and the "Ark" (M-29 conversion)


"...1945, whilst writing to his superior, Dr. Ward F Davidson, O.S.R.D. quoted “We had learned our lesson with the 1/4 ton amphibious jeep which we abandoned as a project the moment the production order was placed. The result of this was that the first 1000 amphibious jeeps sank:..."

This is of course...just so much phooey.....They did not all "sink"......except for the one time in testing when a hole was put in the hull be tire chains. The prototypes were tested in the surf and on land for many weeks.

Div.12 tried to "cover their tracks" on the GPA...and took all the credit for the DUKW......


"....the tactical use was not generally understood within the services: and maintenance was negligible …………”

This is correct however. The GPA was designed to go where a 14' boat would go.....it was not designed to be a landing craft...it was a recon car that could cross lakes and rivers.

Just to show what I am saying here I wil post excerpts from some of the 100's of pages of documents I have on the development of the GPA.


Jim Gilmore

Jim Thorpe, PA.

[Ian Grieve]

Jim

I agree with your sentiments on the NDRC.

The records at National Archives, Maryland, are brilliant and how I would like to live in your part of the world, so close. Like you, I waded through hundreds and hundreds of files at NA, however had only 3 weeks, though every minute the doors were open. Eleven and a half months would be heaven. The development files were relatively easy to find, however, service records (Unit GPA involvement/history) more difficult and much more time consuming to research. Are you intending to publish a GPA history?

What volume of records do the Ford Industrial Archives hold and is this archive at Ford International HQ on Michigan Avenue, Dearborn?

The USN and USMC operated GPA’s, however, I have not researched any of their records (assuming they exist), apart from the statistical reports from TAC.

Ian

[acmack]

Does anyone have any photos of GPA's in Navy livery they could post?
I have heard talk of GPA's in Coast Guard use but is probably post war beach patrol as they became reclassified non-standard and were being cycled out of active use. David

[Ian Grieve]

David

TAC records indicate the USN had 240 GPA’s at May 31, June 30, July 31 and December 31, 1943. Army Supply Program records have the USN with 220 GPA’s through entire 1943, 240 through early 1944, and Nil by December, 1944. TAC Statistical Work Sheets have combined totals for USN and USMC at Nil for April 1, 400 for July 1 and 310 for November 1, 1944. Not a lot more can be drawn from these numbers.

The following page on the G504 Forum shows the only photos I have seen of USMC GPA’s

http://fordgpa.xsbb.nl/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=684604" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Two GPA’s are evident, with one being USMC 52052. The vehicles were at, or near, Camp Pendleton, California.

The following site refers to a Coast Guard helicopter pilot and speaks of his connection with a GPA;

http://www.uscg.mil/History/WEBORALHIST ... _Diary.asp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

“Since most of his time in the Coast Guard was spent at Floyd Bennett, many of my dad’s anecdotal recollections are from there. On 24 November, 1945, he was tasked to deliver Santa from an HNS to a Ford GPA Amphibious Jeep in the Hudson River so that photographers could get pictures of the helicopter in action. He arrived on scene and promptly lowered Santa, a CG enlisted man, to the jeep, but not without difficulty due to the size of the jeep and the freezing spray from the river. The photographers were not quite as prompt at getting set up, however, and missed most of the operation. When they asked for a retake, my dad politely declined, thus saving Santa from a second soaking.”

I have no other references to the USCG and GPA’s.

Mithril has a photo (could have more than one) of a USN GPA at his website as follows;

http://homeusers.brutele.be/mithril/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This is a large website and the pages may be somewhat slow to open.

I would like to hear more of USN, USMC and USCG activities with GPA’s.

Ian

[Mithril]

USN 135333 - black marking (hand ?) on the usual registration number place
USN 147409 - usual white painted registration (GPA with reel unit RL31C on the rear deck) - 51st Seabees

[Ian Grieve]

Mithril

I was not able to open your GPA page tonight, thus could not see the USN GPA’s.

With numbers of USN 135333 and USN 147409, it is clear to see numbers were not allocated in one batch as there is a spread of 12,076.

Jim may have researched USN files at either National Archives, Maryland, or Washington Naval Yard, DC.

Ian

[Mithril]

I send you both pictures Ian.

Check your mail box.

[acmack]

Mithril, I too can get to your web site but the pages will not open. Please send me the USN photos and I will post them here on G503 for everyone to see. Thanks David

email address; vineyardhaven12@yahoo.com

[Mithril]

Here they are :


USN 135333


USN 147409

I also have one without any registration number, but with an american sailor at the wheel drive (so surely USN too). There is something on a pole fixed the front desk (maybe a weather station) ...

[Joe Gopan]

AND THEN CAME THE AQUA CHETAH.