Tracks take to water DPR/TV/711

The beach at Vung Tau on the south-east coast of Vietnam proved an ideal area to test the seaworthiness of Armoured Personnel Carriers of "A" Squadron of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment with the Australian Task Force at Nui Dat. After lining up on the beach the Armoured Personnel Carriers moved into the water one at a time to be tested. The water test for the tracks, as the Armoured Personnel Carriers are commonly referred to in the Task Force, also enabled the crews the opportunity to revise their water techniques. But it was not plain sailing for all the tracks. Recovery vehicles were standing by in the event of one of the personnel carriers sinking - and one did. Before recovery crews could assist the sunken APC another was on its way to provide immediate assistance. With the help of crew members of the sunken APC and the safety team in a nearby raft, a steel rope was quickly attached and the haul back to the beach ready to begin. A third APC assisted with the recovery, and minutes later all were back on the shore. Water from inside the sunken APC gushed out as the ramp was lowered, and then it was back to the job of testing other APC for seaworthiness. [Identified personnel: Capt. John Oxenham, of Sherwood, Qld; Tpr Stretton Joel of Nedlands, WA]