Rescue truck turns heads

Christopher the Rescue Truck has been turning heads in Busselton since it was imported direct from the US Military in August.

The M1070HET tank retriever was imported by Geographe Marine Salvage and Rescue to salvage crashed and stricken vessels but has quickly become a talking point around the marina.

Director Luke Purdy said in the two months since its arrival, Christopher has amassed a bevy of inquisitive fans.

"Even bringing him back from Fremantle and weaving through traffic was like Moses parting the red sea - everyone turning heads to take a look, wondering what he was," he said.

Christopher - named for the Patron Saint of Travel - was originally made for tank retrieval in war zones, Mr Purdy said.

But after adding some custom tray and art work, Christopher is now Busselton's resident marine rescue vehicle with two rescues already to his name in his two-month stay.

Mr Purdy said Christopher streamlined salvages and replaced several other pieces of equipment.

"We used to use excavators, bulldozers, trailers and cranes," he said.

"But now 12-hour jobs are more like 20-minute jobs.

"It also has a much smaller impact on the environment."

Mr Purdy said getting the 22-tonne amphibious vehicle to Australia was a 12-month "mission", which included a three-month confiscation in Japan.

"Getting the right paperwork, clearances and import approval was a nightmare," he said. Despite proving popular with the people, Mr Purdy said there would be no other vehicles like it imported.

"It's the only one in Australia and there will never be another like it," he said.

"It's completely unique."