Why this place exists
A volunteer-run Quonset hut museum at Camp Del Mar preserving Landing Vehicle Tracked history for Alligator Marines, Amtrac’ers, families, and the next generation of Assault Amphibian students.
In the mid-1990s, as unused structures across Camp Pendleton faced reuse or demolition, the Assault Amphibian community preserved a WWII-era Quonset hut—Building 21561—that had once supported tracked-vehicle maintenance near the “Trac” schoolhouse.
Thoughts of storage became a museum. In May 1996 it opened, gathering restored LVTs and donated uniforms, equipment, photographs, and artwork that trace the development and impact of Alligator Marines and their machines.
Asked why the museum was established, then-Assault Amphibian School commander Lt. Col. Nans answered: because Amtrac’ers are proud of the traditions and valor of Alligator Marines.
In 1996 the museum received the Colonel John H. Magruder III Award from the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation. A significant remodel in 2020 rededicated the space as the Well Deck.
Step inside
Museum gallery framework
Administrator-managed categories for museum-owned photography. Fullscreen viewing, captions, credits, and rights metadata land in Phase 2 CMS.
Exterior
The Vehicles
Artifacts
Well Deck
Restoration
Marines & Visitors
Historical Displays
Behind the Scenes
Artifact of the Week
A rotating feature for return visits
Administrators can feature a helmet, uniform, map, photograph, component, data plate, document, or personal item—with high-resolution imagery and provenance when known.
First Artifact of the Week publishes when museum staff select and caption an object.