History
During the 1930's Higgins Industries had perfected a workboat, dubbed the 'Eureka' model, designed to
work in the swamps and marshes of south Louisiana. The shallow-draft boat could operate in only 18
inches of water, running through vegetation and over logs and debris without fouling its propeller. It could
also run right up on shore and extract itself without damage. As part of his sales demonstrations,
Higgins often had the boats run up on the Lake Ponchartrain seawall.
The "headlog" - a solid block of pine at the bow - was the strongest part of the boat, enabling it to run at
full speed over floating obstacles, sandbars, and right up on to the beach without damaging the hull.
A deep vee hull forward led to a reverse-curve section amidships and two flat planing sections aft,
flanking a semi-tunnel that protected the propeller and shaft. Aerated water flowing under the forefoot of
the boat created less friction when the boat was moving and allowed for faster speeds and
maneuverability. Because of the reverse curve, objects in the water would be pushed away from the boat
at a point between the bow and amidships (including the aerated water—only solid water reached the
propeller). This allowed continuous high-speed running and cut down on damage to the propeller, as
floating objects seldom came near it. The flat sections aft, on either side of the shaft tunnel, actually had
a catamaran/planing effect which added to the hull speed.
All of these features contributed to the boat's successful adaptation as a landing craft. The Navy named it
the LCPL, or Landing Craft, Personnel, Large.
The Japanese had been using ramp-bowed landing boats in the Second Sino-Japanese War since the
summer of 1937—boats that had come under intense scrutiny by the Navy and Marine Corps observers
at Shanghai in particular. When shown a picture of one of those craft in 1941, Higgins soon thereafter got
in touch with his chief engineer, and, after describing the Japanese design over the telephone, told the
engineer to have a mock-up built for his inspection upon his return to New Orleans.
Within one month, tests of the ramp-bow Eureka boat in Lake Pontchartrain showed conclusively that
successful operation of such a boat was feasible. The military asked that this boat be put in to
production. Higgins, after further testing said no on the basis that the boat was too bow heavy. The Navy
insisted and awarded the contract to Chris Craft. This became the Landing Craft, Personnel (Ramped)
LCP(R), the only Higgins' design that was never produced by Higgins. The machine gun positions were
still at the front of the boat but closer to the side to give access between them to the ramp. The design
was still not ideal as the ramp was a bottleneck for the troops as was the case with the British Landing
Craft Assault of the year before.
The LCVP was actually a modification of the Higgins Industries 'Eureka' boat, the Navy version of which
was the LCPL. It was the most numerous of WWII's famous Higgins Boats.
It was basically constructed of wood, and was used in transporting fully armed troops, light vehicles, and
other equipment and supplies essential to amphibious operations. It was these boats that made the D-
Day landings at Normandy, Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, Tarawa, and hundreds of lesser-known places
possible.
Without Higgins' uniquely designed craft there could not have been a mass landing of troops and
material on European shores or on the beaches of the Pacific islands, at least not without a
tremendously higher rate of Allied casualties.
The LCVP could land a platoon of 36 men with their equipment, or a jeep and 12 men, extract itself
quickly, turn around without broaching in the surf, and go back out to get more troops and/or supplies.
This was critical—any landing craft that could not extract itself would hinder the ability of succeeding
waves to reach the beachhead. The tough, highly maneuverable Higgins boats allowed Allied
commanders to plan their assaults on relatively less-defended coastline areas and then support a
beachhead staging area rather than be forced to capture a port city with wharves and facilities to offload
men and material. The 20,000+ Higgins boats manufactured by Higgins Industries and others licensed
to use Higgins designs landed more Allied troops during the war than all other types of landing craft
combined.
During the 1930's Higgins Industries had perfected a workboat, dubbed the 'Eureka' model, designed to
work in the swamps and marshes of south Louisiana. The shallow-draft boat could operate in only 18
inches of water, running through vegetation and over logs and debris without fouling its propeller. It could
also run right up on shore and extract itself without damage. As part of his sales demonstrations,
Higgins often had the boats run up on the Lake Ponchartrain seawall.
The "headlog" - a solid block of pine at the bow - was the strongest part of the boat, enabling it to run at
full speed over floating obstacles, sandbars, and right up on to the beach without damaging the hull.
A deep vee hull forward led to a reverse-curve section amidships and two flat planing sections aft,
flanking a semi-tunnel that protected the propeller and shaft. Aerated water flowing under the forefoot of
the boat created less friction when the boat was moving and allowed for faster speeds and
maneuverability. Because of the reverse curve, objects in the water would be pushed away from the boat
at a point between the bow and amidships (including the aerated water—only solid water reached the
propeller). This allowed continuous high-speed running and cut down on damage to the propeller, as
floating objects seldom came near it. The flat sections aft, on either side of the shaft tunnel, actually had
a catamaran/planing effect which added to the hull speed.
All of these features contributed to the boat's successful adaptation as a landing craft. The Navy named it
the LCPL, or Landing Craft, Personnel, Large.
The Japanese had been using ramp-bowed landing boats in the Second Sino-Japanese War since the
summer of 1937—boats that had come under intense scrutiny by the Navy and Marine Corps observers
at Shanghai in particular. When shown a picture of one of those craft in 1941, Higgins soon thereafter got
in touch with his chief engineer, and, after describing the Japanese design over the telephone, told the
engineer to have a mock-up built for his inspection upon his return to New Orleans.
Within one month, tests of the ramp-bow Eureka boat in Lake Pontchartrain showed conclusively that
successful operation of such a boat was feasible. The military asked that this boat be put in to
production. Higgins, after further testing said no on the basis that the boat was too bow heavy. The Navy
insisted and awarded the contract to Chris Craft. This became the Landing Craft, Personnel (Ramped)
LCP(R), the only Higgins' design that was never produced by Higgins. The machine gun positions were
still at the front of the boat but closer to the side to give access between them to the ramp. The design
was still not ideal as the ramp was a bottleneck for the troops as was the case with the British Landing
Craft Assault of the year before.
The LCVP was actually a modification of the Higgins Industries 'Eureka' boat, the Navy version of which
was the LCPL. It was the most numerous of WWII's famous Higgins Boats.
It was basically constructed of wood, and was used in transporting fully armed troops, light vehicles, and
other equipment and supplies essential to amphibious operations. It was these boats that made the D-
Day landings at Normandy, Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, Tarawa, and hundreds of lesser-known places
possible.
Without Higgins' uniquely designed craft there could not have been a mass landing of troops and
material on European shores or on the beaches of the Pacific islands, at least not without a
tremendously higher rate of Allied casualties.
The LCVP could land a platoon of 36 men with their equipment, or a jeep and 12 men, extract itself
quickly, turn around without broaching in the surf, and go back out to get more troops and/or supplies.
This was critical—any landing craft that could not extract itself would hinder the ability of succeeding
waves to reach the beachhead. The tough, highly maneuverable Higgins boats allowed Allied
commanders to plan their assaults on relatively less-defended coastline areas and then support a
beachhead staging area rather than be forced to capture a port city with wharves and facilities to offload
men and material. The 20,000+ Higgins boats manufactured by Higgins Industries and others licensed
to use Higgins designs landed more Allied troops during the war than all other types of landing craft
combined.
| The LCP(L), LCP(R) & LCVP |
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