Here was 33.
See the logo on the stern of this puppy . . . er . . . LARC?
My friend Tony A shared these photos with me. He said they’re in the public domain, but they show up nowhere in google searches.
So here are my questions: Were these only experimental? What is the approximate vintage of these photos? What has become of the boats? A hydrographic survey company used to have at least one such vessel in their Staten Island yard . . . are they the same boats?
I’m just full of questions this morning. Many thanks to Tony for sharing. Enjoy the beautiful sunny spring morning. Here is an index of previous tugster posts with NYPD vessels.
tugster: a waterblog 
9 comments
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March 22, 2015 at 8:30 am
JED!
The resemble NAVY LARC-V’s. NAVY Beachmasters still use them.
March 22, 2015 at 8:46 am
tom w
tampa had one as a fireboat http://www.tampasbravest.com/Fireboats.php
March 22, 2015 at 9:52 am
J LaDue
Hyannis, Mass uses a fleet for excursions down main street and into the harbor
March 22, 2015 at 10:10 pm
sfdi1947
Try these, the first iteration 1955-1962, http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/g916/swimming-with-cars-9-amphibious-vehicles/?slide=9 the last model is the one you showed, http://terrapics.com/pictures/jokulsarlon-glacier-amphibious-vehicles-iceland/ and this is a current usage. Last one I ever saw was at Hue, in 1969
March 23, 2015 at 5:40 am
tugster
many more NYPD photos–although nothing to put a date on the photos in this post–can be found here at bentwheelclub: http://bentwheelclub.org
March 23, 2015 at 10:24 am
gccryder16
These Police boats seem to be built on the same lines as the Ducks used at the Wisconsin Dells attraction.
March 23, 2015 at 11:15 am
Rembert
I can´t help to identify that vehicle. But I could have done so with this!
No fake, but an “Amphicar”, built in the early 60´s in Berlin and mostly sold to US customers. Because of the rugged “Wehrmacht” – technology under that chic bodywork, I suppose. I must have been less than six years old, when I saw a car drifting by on the Rhine, the occupants not crying for help. It left a lasting impression, obviously not only with me.
BTW, these hybrids were not build in a shipyard but, at least their militarian ancestors, in the famous Bugatti factory in Alsace / France.
August 10, 2015 at 9:05 pm
tugster
rembert– i’d never noticed this. cool!! and thanks for putting it there.
March 23, 2015 at 1:55 pm
mageb
I was in the ARMY at Ft. Eustis duriing the time they were experimenting with LARC’s. I too found little about them online.
http://www.amphibiousvehicle.net/amphi/B/barcspecial/rusting/rusting-page.html