Saving 'Willie:' familiar assault vehicle finds its way back to Devil Dogs

Courtesy Photo | "Willie the Whale," an LVT-4 amphibious assault vehicle, is towed into the high bay of Randolph Hall on the Ordnance Campus. Since September 2015, Marines enrolled in courses there have used it as a training aide, performing minor cosmetic work on its exterior. Willie was a fixture at the Marine barracks at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., prior to the Ordnance School’s relocation to Fort Lee. After the move, it was found at an Anniston Army Depot, Ala., storage facility and transported here for refurbishment.  

FORT LEE, VA, UNITED STATES

01.14.2016

Story by Terrance Bell  

Fort Gregg-Adams

FORT LEE, Va. - An amphibious assault vehicle that symbolized the Marine presence at the Ordnance School when it was located at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., has made its way back to the Devil Dogs.

Dubbed “Willie the Whale,” the LVT-4 was moved here from Anniston Army Depot, Ala., in September 2015 but currently sits in the high bay of Randolph Hall, a Marine training facility located on the Ordnance Campus.

Claire Samuelson, museum director, Ordnance Corps Training and Heritage Center, said Willie, which welcomed thousands of Marines to the Marine barracks at Aberdeen, is undergoing some minor cosmetic work courtesy of Marines enrolled in courses at Randolph.

“The Marines will perform, as part of their training, small welding necessities and improvements to the LVT,” she said. In addition to the cosmetic work, “we requested a hazmat test and assessment of impact for having it refurbished/stabilized at Randolph. One day, we would like to have it completely refurbished to reflect how it would have appeared when in use by the Marine Corps.”

For Marine Corps Chief Warrant Officer 3 Joseph Bering, having Willie back in the hands of Marines is a means to connect the Devil Dogs with its time at Aberdeen, where Marines trained for decades.

“A lot of the instructors and staff that went to the school as privates saw it going to and from the barracks,” said the director of the small arms repairer course. “Now, seeing it again is a reminder of that heritage we had at Aberdeen.”

Bering also said the landing craft is a way to expose young Marines to history.

“The advantage of having our welding students refurbish a piece of history like that is it allows them to connect with the past, with those who have come before us,” he said.

Willie made its way back here when “the question was asked about the location of the LVT that used to sit in front of the old barracks (at Aberdeen),” said Bering. “Through various emails and phone calls, Willie was tracked down and located sitting on a storage lot at Anniston. Through coordination and agreements to provide a better indoor home, it was agreed to move it back with the Marines.”

The LVT-4 was used by the Marine Corps, the Army and its allies in the Pacific and European theaters. As an evolution to the earlier model LVTs, the biggest change and improvement was the relocation of the engine forward and the creation of an access ramp in the rear of the vehicle. This ramp allowed for easier loading of equipment and men as well as providing better protection while under fire. So successful in design and adaptability, it was used as a troop transport and artillery transport. It was also used as a deployable ramp for bridging seawalls and a flame-thrower capable vehicle used to clear bunkers in the Pacific.

Willie, an early production model, has two large windows and escape hatches for the driver and the assistant driver. The later production model LVT-4s had improved armor to the front and viewing ports for the driver and a mounted machine gun for the assistant driver. There was even a LVT (A)-4 – a tank-style model with a turret hosting a 75mm howitzer.

Relocated by the U.S. Army Center of Military History following Base Realignment and Closure at Aberdeen, Willie was transferred to Anniston Army Depot, said Bering. There, it sat rusting waiting for the opening of an engineer museum where it would be displayed.

Willie’s relocation is part of Bravo Company’s ongoing efforts to showcase its history and heritage here, said Bering. The unit has borrowed several artillery pieces from the U.S Army Ordnance Training and Heritage Center toward that end.

The restoration work is expected to take two years to complete, said Samuelson. At some point in the future, Willie will be relocated to the U.S. Army Engineer Museum at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.

• Date Taken: 01.14.2016
• Date Posted: 01.14.2016 10:05
• Story ID: 186276
• Location: FORT LEE, VA, US