M60 AVLB

One of the oddest sites ever for me in Vietnam was seeing this M60 AVLB.  I saw one for the first time while working with the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment outside of Firebase Candy.  They were checking out roads in the area so we went along with them to provide support if they ran into enemy soldiers.  Have you figured out what it is yet?  Well the AVLB designation stands for Armored Vehicle Launched Bridge.

The base of the unit was an M60 Patton Tank.  What you see on top of the tank is a scissor-type bridge made of aluminum.  Unfolded and lying on the ground, the bridge was 63 feet long and 13 feet wide.  I read that a crew of two people operated the thing.  Its 12-cylinder diesel engine and 375 gallon fuel tank would take it 290 miles.  That's about 3/4 of a mile to a gallon.  It weighed over 50 tons but if needed, could do about 30 miles per hour.  I wouldn't want to cross the street in front of one if it was rumbling along at a quick pace.  Wouldn't want to test those brakes.

Even more amazing was watching the operator test the bridge.  The strength of those hydraulic pistons just blew me away.  In one fluid motion, the bridge lifted up and over from the rear while unfolding from the front until 60 feet of bridge was lying there on the ground fully extended and ready to use.  The whole operation was done in about two minutes.

We never actually used it as a bridge while with the 11th Armored Cav.  I never saw one again.  I've read that the Marines used them as well and still use them.  Not sure about the Army.