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The Duck is an amphibious (land/water) vehicle with
six driving wheels, a steel hull and the capacity to
carry 25 people on land or 50 people while afloat and
5,000-pounds of general cargo. The Duck's land motor
is located in the front and operates in water by means
of a pusher/propeller located at the rear. (Note: Original
Wisconsin Ducks carry a maximum of 21 people per ride).
• With more than 90 ducks, Original Wisconsin Ducks
is the largest fleet of amphibious tour ducks in the
nation. There are an estimated 300 operational ducks
in the United States.
• Original Wisconsin Ducks carry more than 300,000
visitors a year on a one-hour, 8.5-mile tour of the
wooded trails and scenic waterways of Wisconsin Dells.
• Original Wisconsin Ducks has an exemplary safety
record with 57 years of operation in Wisconsin Dells.
• Original Wisconsin Ducks conducts rigorous training
of drivers as part of an overall standard of excellence
that sets it apart from other amphibious tours. The
training involves extensive written and practical testing,
both internally and with outside agencies such as the
Department of Transportation, Department of Natural
Resources and the American Red Cross.
• Becoming an Original Wisconsin Duck tour driver
is one of the most sought-after jobs in Wisconsin Dells.
More than 100 applicants are considered each year, but
only 60 make the cut and go on to six weeks of intensive
training before being allowed to guide tours.
• All Original Wisconsin Ducks are named after
famous military leaders or World War II battles.
• The Duck was used as a transport vehicle, carrying
GIs, ammunition, arms and supplies. In addition, Ducks
evacuated wounded GIs to hospital ships and aided in
the recovery of aircraft lost at sea. Inland, the Duck
was used to traverse natural barriers such as rivers
or other waterways.
• The Duck participated in all large amphibious
operations, both in the Pacific and in Europe during
World War II and the Korean War. As one of the only
vehicles that could maneuver over coral reef in the
Pacific during the 1940s, the Duck was a vital asset
to U.S. military operations.
• On June 6, 1944, more than 2,000 Ducks traveled
along with troops delivering them and their supplies
to hard-to-reach areas for the D-Day invasion on the
beaches of Normandy, France.
• General Motors manufactured more than 21,000
Ducks between 1942 and 1945. When first produced, the
cost of a single Duck was $10,000 - more than it would
have cost to buy a three-bedroom home at that time.
• A total of 370 Ducks participated in the Allied
crossing of the Rhine between March 7 and March 31,
1945. These forces extended more than 350 kilometers
and included 5,000 American Engineer Corps, 893 sailors
and 1,400 men from the Transportation Corps harbor companies
who were led by General George Patton, among others.
• Of the nearly 15-million tons of equipment and
supplies delivered to French and Belgian ports between
June 6, 1944 and May 8, 1944, more than three million
tons were transferred by Duck amphibious vehicles.
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