For the second time in four months, Marine Corps officials are limiting open water operations for their new armored, seafaring vehicle after another vehicle flipped over in the surf off Camp Pendleton during training.
The eight-wheeled vehicle – known as an Amphibious Combat Vehicle – rolled over in the surf at 7:45 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 13, according to Marine Corps officials. The training was being done by the Marines Assault Amphibian School at Camp Pendleton.
The vehicle was doing scheduled training when it had a mechanical malfunction, Marine officials said. The three crew members were not injured, officials said. The ACVs are rated to carry 13 passengers plus three crew and can travel at 6 knots in the water and up to 14 miles at sea. According to reports from the National Weather Service, surf in the area was between two-to-three feet.
“We’re taking a deliberate and methodical approach to fielding this platform,” Lt. Gen. David H. Furness, deputy commandant for plans, policies and operations, said about training in the newer vehicles being rolled out. “This adjustment to current guidance ensures our Marines have the ability to safely train and maintain proficiency with the platform while we work to conduct additional testing.”
Suspension of training with the ACVs in the surf zone will remain in effect until additional testing data can be collected and analyzed, officials said. Testing the vehicles in the surf will be authorized. The ACVs can still operate in protected waters and in the open ocean going from ship to ship, but they cannot enter the surf zone from the beach or the water.
In mid-July, two other ACVs flipped in the surf zone and the Marines suspended open-water operations. In late September, that safety pause was lifted and the vehicles again were allowed to train in the ocean, but surf conditions had to be at or below four feet.
In 2021, the Marines suspended all ACV water operations after a towing mechanism failed and the first ACV fell sideways in the surf. In December 2021, the ACVs were allowed back into the water.
The new vehicles — tested first on the West Coast — transport troops and their equipment from Navy ships to beaches and back to ships. They are being rolled out to replace the aging Amphibious Assault Vehicle, which is lighter, slower and runs on tracks. The ACVs are being tested with the 1st Marine Division and I Marine Expeditionary. In spring, the vehicles also performed water and well-deck operations with Navy amphibious ships.
