"Higgins boat" Lands at National D-Day Memorial

The LCVP is one of few surviving boats manufactured by Higgins Industries during the war.

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Currently on display at the National D- Day Memorial in an authentic Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel (LCVP)–the iconic “Higgins boat” of World War II.

In the 1930s, the U.S. Army tried to envision a way to land troops as close to shore as quickly as possible. The best answer came from New Orleans swamp boat builder Andrew Jackson Higgins, who designed a lightweight craft with a drop-down ramp.

Manufactured by Higgins Industries in August 1944, the LCVP is one of few surviving today. While not a veteran of the D-Day landings, the boat is symbolic of the all-important craft that ferried invading forces from troop carriers to the beaches on D-Day.

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If Higgins had not designed and built those LCVPs, we never could have landed over an open beach… Higgins is the man who won the war for us.

Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1964

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Help us keep the LCVP at the National D-Day Memorial!

We have a unique opportunity to make the Memorial the permanent home to this rare artifact that defined D-Day.

The Memorial is seeking contributions to purchase and house the Higgins boat in an exhibit area, to guarantee its preservation.

Your gift helps us save this critical part of history for generations to come.

The LCVP currently appears courtesy of Kenny Adams, Tom Price, & Tim Robertson of Ohio.