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Hovercraft

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ggr

Expert in Dunning-Kruger Effect!
Moderator
Mar 24, 2011
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33,744
San Diego, CA
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This is pretty off-topic, I know, but recently we saw two of the most interesting vehicles I've ever seen. We were flying offshore Oceanside, CA... just north of San Diego. The pics were too good not to post them somewhere. Photo credits/copyright to Miriam Wiggers de Vries. Contact me for permission to reuse.

The first was a Marine assault hovercraft, more correctly known as an LCAC (Landing Craft Air Cushion). From the I-5 just north of Oceanside, at the south end of Camp Pendleton (the protective buffer stopping LA from absorbing San Diego!) you can see the base, but if you don't know what it is, you won't guess from seeing the outside. In over 10 years in San Diego this is only the second time I've seen one of these in operation.

Hovercraft LCAC.jpg


But then, a bit further off shore, we saw this. I have no idea what its official name is, and had no idea such a thing existed. At first, from a distance, it looked like a sinking oil tanker. The three bays are just the right size for an LCAC. At the right, you can see a staircase leading up from the front launch bay to the ship's bow... it's 6 floors worth of staircase!

Hovercraft launcher.jpg