Duck Boats: 5 Things you Didn't Know

A “Ride the Ducks” tourist vehicle was involved in a fatal crash Thursday in Seattle which resulted in the death of four Chinese exchange students. Twelve other people were sent to the hospital in critical condition.

• Read Patch’s story on the crash here

Here are five things you may not have known about duck boats.

The Duck was First Used in World War II

Originally called the DUKW, the vehicle was used as an amphibious landing craft in World War II. The vehicle’s main use was to transport supplies from ship to shore during amphibious operations. Many were used in D-Day.

The First Duck Tour Company Was Started in 1946

World War II veteran Bob Unger and his friend Mel Flath opened the first duck tour company in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. The company is still running today and is called Original Wisconsin Ducks, according to Amusement Today.

Duck Tours are Offered in More Than 30 Cities

Duck tour companies are located in harbor, river and lake cities all over the world. Some places you wouldn’t think to see duck boat tours are Osaka, Japan, and Malacca, Malaysia.

Duck Tours mean Championships in Boston

Duck boats have been used several times in the past decade in Boston sports championship celebrations. The Boston Celtics used duck boats to carry players in their victory parade in 2008. The Red Sox also used duck boats for their parades in 2004, 20007 and 2013, and the Bruins used them in 2011.

Duck Tours Have Proven to be Dangerous

Since 1999, there have been four separate fatal incidents involving duck boats. In those four incidents, 23 people have been killed. The worst incident took place in Hot Springs, Arkansas, where a DUKW sank and 13 of the 20 people on board drowned.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons