When most folks envision World War II, the first thing that comes to mind is typically soldiers storming ashore at Normandy or Marines fighting across islands in the Pacific. What tends to be left out of that mental image, however, is how exactly those soldiers arrived at those beaches in the first place. That chapter in history belongs to an unexpected hero—a hard-charging, resourceful boat builder from New Orleans by the name of Andrew Jackson Higgins. His business, Higgins Industries, did not simply construct boats; it revolutionized how wars were conducted on the ocean.
Higgins did not become a boat builder by birth. He hails from Nebraska—far from the sea—and began his career in the lumber industry. But he had an ability to understand how things worked, and he applied that skill to boat design. His first work, particularly the Eureka boat, was designed with the Gulf Coast’s finicky waters in mind—shallow, snaggy, and difficult to handle. The Eureka had a shallow draft, a shielded propeller, and a rugged hull that could absorb a pounding and keep on going. These would become essential in the heat of combat later on.
By the late 1930s, Higgins was selling his designs to the U.S. military, claiming his boats held the key to ending the gigantic task of landing troops and equipment directly onto beaches without recourse to a harbor. The Navy wasn’t entirely convinced to begin with, but the boat did the talking. A variant, known as the LCPL, was tested in large fleet exercises. It did withstand, but there was still one problem—soldiers had to jump off the sides to exit.
No sitting still for Higgins. He re-designed the boat within a snap. He drew inspiration from Japanese landing ships and installed a ramp at the bow. In a matter of weeks, he had his prototype complete. That is the LCVP—Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel—but everyone calls it the “Higgins boat.” It could transport 36 troops or a light vehicle, and that ramp allowed troops to stream straight out onto the beach.
This little adjustment made a huge impact. Higgins boats provided Allied troops with the ability to come ashore nearly anywhere, avoiding defended ports and hitting where the enemy was most vulnerable. General Dwight D. Eisenhower once stated that Higgins was “the man who won the war for us.” That may be an overstatement, but it isn’t really. Without those boats, D-Day and all the operations like it would not have been feasible.
Higgins didn’t rest there. He also created the LCM, or Landing Craft Mechanized. This larger craft was able to transport tanks and heavy machinery directly onto the beach. It was patterned after a British design but enhanced for American-specific needs. With the LCM, whole armored units could be landed without the use of docks or cranes.
During its peak wartime production, Higgins Industries was a powerhouse of industry. It evolved from a small New Orleans outfit into a gigantic complex of seven factories and approximately 20,000 workers. They produced more than 20,000 landing craft and almost 200 patrol torpedo boats. Just figures, though, Higgins Industries also transcended social barriers—it was among the first Southern companies to integrate its workforce, employing women and African Americans in significant numbers and even providing transportation to bring workers in from the countryside.
And then came the PT boats. These fast, diminutive attack craft were manufactured by Higgins in competition with others such as ELCO and Huckins. The Navy accepted Higgins’ 78-foot version after a long testing process. These crafts were spitting mad, lightning quick, and were worked hard from the Mediterranean to the Pacific. They escorted landings, interdicted enemy supply chains, and carried out bold nighttime raids.
By 1943, Higgins Industries had either designed or constructed the majority of the Navy’s little ships. Its founder was in effect a legend among the military brass, hailed as a man of genius and one who never said “it can’t be done.” His boats won battles, but they saved lives too by delivering troops ashore more quickly and effectively.
Today, the Higgins Industries legacy survives not just in books but in preserved objects—perhaps none more legendary than PT-305. Dubbed USS Sudden Jerk, she was constructed by Higgins and afterward employed for tours and chartered cruises following the war. But years afterward, she returned to New Orleans, where the National WWII Museum undertook the meticulous task of restoring her. Volunteers and workers spilled more than 120,000 hours of work into the project, bringing new life to the vintage vessel.
So the next time you watch black-and-white clips of American soldiers landing on the beach, look beyond the uniforms and guns. Look at the boats that brought them there—grizzled, no-frills, and ingenious in their simplicity. And look at the man behind the boats: Andrew Jackson Higgins. His tale is a testament to what unrelenting perseverance and creative thinking can do, particularly when the world is at war.