LCAC 66 retired; may be scrapped

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. – In 1994, the Navy’s Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) 66 docked in Saint Andrew’s Bay for the first time; and now after 25 years of service to Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City, the vessel is retiring, and being dismantled. LCAC is designed delivery Marines and their equipment by land and water for amphibious assaults. There are 69 active LCACs throughout the U.S. and Japan. Each is operated by only five enlisted crewmen.​ LCAC 66 has been used for research and testing at the surface warfare center. ​But, the vessel is being disassembled due to a lack of funding and changing technology. “It’s a funding thing, we got new boats coming in, we got a lot of assets that are gonna be switching over from the legacy LCAC to the LCAC 100 series boats,” Mitch Martin, LCAC Craft Master, told WMBB. The Navy began disassembling LCAC 66 about eight months ago.​ It will either be scrapped or potentially become another fishing-diving reef for the Gulf of Mexico. Crews will continue to disassemble the LCAC through September.​ (Source: WMBB Panama City 08/16/19)