Walk one more a DUKW – Malo-les-Bains 1950
This is the story of a DUKW 353 – 6×6 amphibian that has made holidaymakers in Malo-les-Bains happy 1950 and during 18 years. The DUKW is an American landing craft designed by General Motors Corporation, he is the hero of the american landing of the second world war in Normandy. I invite you to go read my article about it, right here.
That of Malo-les-Bains, small town east of Dunkirk (to 11 km from the Belgian border) was bought in an army surplus by M. Ménart and Monsieur Roland Verhaege bought him a DUKW 353 in 1950 which he will baptize Charl Le Charlot ’.
Mr Verhaege could carry around forty people on board, it started from the beach and allowed very many tourists to take a nice walk for a sum that was said to be quite expensive at the time, 100 francs for adults and 30 francs for children.
It's sunday 25 August 1968 on his 6th trip, around 4:00 p.m. that her story ended. There was 35 people on board and a bottom blade came to turn the DUKW however not far from the beach of Dunkirk by a wind of 45 km/h. A woman and a child will die there, despite the hundreds of people present who will do their utmost to rescue the shipwrecked.
Today it is still possible to go on sea trips to Malo-les-Bains, but more in DUKW, amphibians, it's ancient history.
Colorized version
