LARC-V

LARC-V 117117 Army ANARE Bandiana 2014

LARC-V stands for Lighter Amphibious Resupply Cargo 5-ton. Less than 1,000 were originally built with over 500 being abandoned, most scuttled, at the end of the U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Many have passed into civilian hands and are used by tour operators. As late as 2006 around 50 LARC-Vs were being put through a Service Life Extension Program for the U.S. Navy. I guess there hasn't been a viable replacement made yet. This one is in the markings of ANARE: Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition. These expeditions used 8 LARC-vs supplied by the Australian Army.