This guest blog by Kimberly Guise, Curator at The National WWII Museum, and the video included therein was produced as part of The National WWII Museum’s participation in the Smithsonian Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovations’ Places of Invention Affiliates Project. Places of Invention is made possible in part by a generous grant from the National Science Foundation.
New Orleans’ own LCVP (Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel) and its creator, Higgins Industries, are the focus of the National WWII Museum’s work for the Smithsonian Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovations’ Places of Invention Affiliates Project.
Under the leadership of Andrew Higgins and propelled by wartime necessity, the company grew from one small plant and shipyard employing only 75 people to eight production facilities in the New Orleans area with over 20,000 workers. Millions of Americans had occasion to travel in a “Higgins boat” during the war. To see how Higgins managed such an overhaul and what it meant for the war, watch the video below produced by my colleagues at The National WWII Museum, Curator Eric Rivet and Digital Media Producer John Weaver.
To learn more about the contributions of Higgins Industries and about the American Experience in WWII visit The National WWII Museum.
