American amphibious doctrine took a significant blow in 2020 after a training accident in which
an Assault Amphibious Vehicle suddenly began to sink in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
The servicemen desperately attempted to call for help,
but it would take over 45 minutes for rescue teams to arrive,
leaving the overnumbered military men to fend for themselves as the water rose around them.
The incident revealed the awful state of the aging US Assault Amphibious Vehicles, and in response,
the landing crafts were ordered to stay out of the water for the foreseeable future.
With no replacement in sight, the American amphibious operations are now submerged in
an unprecedented crisis, as their primary vehicle is unfit to go into the water.
The Vehicle
The Amphibious Assault Vehicle, with the official designation AAV-7A1 AMTRAC,
is the most recent such vehicle used by the United States Marine Corps.
Formerly known as LVTP-7, it has been the backbone of US-led amphibious operations
since its initial deployment in 1972, when it replaced the LVTP-5.
The new vehicle was an improved version of the old LVT-7s,
with a more powerful engine and transmission, a modern weapons system,
and a configuration that allowed for simple maintenance protocols.
From the Falklands War to Lebanon to the Gulf War, the AMTRAC has served in numerous US
Marine operations worldwide throughout its long career. But despite being regarded as
a formidable vehicle early on in its service, the AAV was heavily criticized when the Gulf War came
for not providing enough protection to the Marines inside its hull.
During the Invasion of Iraq in 2003, the aging AAVs again failed to impress
after eight were destroyed during the Battle of Nasiriyah, where they were shredded by RPG,
mortar, tank, and artillery fire.
Due to its flaws and poor condition, the AAV was eventually replaced by
the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle, or EFV. The new vehicle was intended
to transport an entire Marine rifle squad to shore from an amphibious assault ship
beyond the horizon with three times the speed in water and about twice the armor.
The EFV was intended for deployment in 2015;
however, it was mysteriously canceled in 2011 with no other replacement announced.
A Troubled Journey
It wouldn’t be until 2018 that the US would announce the development of a replacement,
the BAE Systems SuperAV, but it did not go into production until the spring of 2021.
It was just another regular training day for the 12 Marines and a Navy serviceman assigned to Bravo
Company, Battalion Landing Team ¼, which were crammed inside a 36-year-old AVV on July 20, 2020.
The crew was operating near San Clemente Island off the California coast,
preparing for its upcoming deployment. After launching USS Somerset, the task force had to
successfully land on San Clemente Island and then return to the ship during the afternoon.
The platoon, made up of 13 AAV vehicles, had been enduring several mechanical
failures during the day, but the mishaps had not caused any signifcant issues yet
except for an AAV having to stay on Somerset.
However, after landing on San Clemente Island at 8:38am, one of the AMTRACs blew a hub and was
disabled. Three other AAVs and their crews stayed on the island with the broken AAV
to await repair teams as the other nine amphibious vehicles returned to Somerset.
The nine vehicles departed from the beach at 4:50pm to make the three-mile
journey back to the ship, but soon one of them lost communications with the ship,
and another suffered a malfunction that required another vehicle to tow it.
Still, it was the AAV AAVP7 SN 523519 that would face the worst fate.
The Sinking
After two miles of travel, water began to leak into the AAVP7 very slowly.
When a crew member first reported the issue, the commander failed to see the gravity of the
situation and didn’t give the order to prepare a possible evacuation as protocol demanded.
Water continued to drip inside the vessel, and the commander didn’t react
until the water reached calf level and started to damage the electronic systems.
Still, the commander did not prepare to evacuate; instead, he opened the hatch and waved a checkered
flag for over 20 minutes in a desperate attempt to call the attention of a friendly ship.
Another AMTRAC finally spotted the AAV in distress
and informed headquarters in San Clemente Island that one of the vehicles was in trouble.
To make matters worse, the AAVs had deployed without safety boats on board
and without the emergency manual to be used in case of an emergency.
Inside the hull, everything was dark, the electronic systems had failed,
and water was leaking from multiple locations. Not until the water reached their chests did the
Marine in command order the men to evacuate. But by now, they had lost too much time,
and their cumbersome Kevlar armor and equipment crippled their escape attempts.
As they made a line to exit the hatch, the servicemen didn’t realize the severity of
the situation, believing they had enough time to escape. But the AAV was now barely
above the water surface. In a cruel twist of fate, a sudden wave swept over the vehicle,
flooding the little empty space left and causing the vehicle to sink nose-first immediately.
In the ensuing investigation, an officer would report: (QUOTE) “When the wave swept
into (the AAV), the embarked personnel had been standing on the bench seats in order to evacuate
the vehicle. The force of the water rushing in knocked personnel off their feet. The embarked
personnel were not trained appropriately and did not realize how dire the situation was.”
The AAV then sank with eleven men on board at 6:15pm. Only two Marines survived.
Aftermath
The enormous accident on July 20, 2020, revealed a series of significant flaws
in the US Marine Corps' training, protocols, maintenance, and vehicle operation capabilities.
A major investigation was immediately launched,
and it concluded that not one single factor was to blame for the tragedy; instead,
a large number of mishaps and human errors led to the unfortunate loss of life that day.
The sunken AAV was recovered from 385 feet below water, revealing some major anomalies, loose or
missing parts, worn seals, and an evident and overwhelming lack of proper vehicle maintenance.
Additionally, the training of Marines during amphibious operations was found wanting;
most of the Marines had boarded an AAV without finishing their training on emergency protocols,
something that should not have happened.
Human error and miscalculation also played an important role, as an investigator would later
elaborate: (QUOTE) “The key moment in the mishap was when water was at ankle level…
and the vehicle commander failed to order the evacuation of embarked troops, as required by
the Common Standard Operating Procedures for AAV Operations. Instead, the vehicle commander was
more focused on getting back to the ship, vice evacuating the embarked personnel.”
Poor leadership, insufficient training, deplorable vehicle maintenance, and human error led to the
unfortunate incident. In response to the gravity of the situation, the US Marine Corps decided to
immediately halt the use of the AVV in water, thus restricting its use to land operations.
With no adequate replacement in sight until the SuperAV is massively deployed and available,
the US Marine Corps' amphibious capabilities are still severely compromised to this day.
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