U.S. Marines are an amphibious force by nature. Being born as part of the U.S. Continental Navy, amphibiousness is not only part of their DNA, but part of the way they maneuver. As anyone would expect, mostly everything that becomes part of the U.S. Marines arsenal needs to be amphibious, to get wet, to get in the water and still be ready and able to operate as soon as it comes out.
The M1 Abrams, a third generation main battle tank manufactured in the U.S., is currently the main battle tank of all U.S. Armed Forces, including U.S. Marines, as well as of the armies of Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Australia, and, as of 2010, Iraq. Weighing nearly 62 tons, the M1 Abrams is among the heaviest main battle tanks in the world. So it begs the question, can something as heavy as the Abrams be amphibious? The question is thoroughly answered in this video, where Marines with the 4th tank battalion do a amphibious training mission with M1 Abrams from a big Navy Hovercraft transport. See for yourself.
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Do you think that the M1 Abrams can be considered amphibious? Sound off and share your opinions and comments in the section below.
