Saving Higgins - WWII LCVP Restoration Project
Tax deductible
SAVING HIGGINS | A RESTORATION BY THE WWII VETERANS HISTORY PROJECT
June 6, 1944, will forever be known as D-Day. Early that morning, thousands of small wooded landing craft, known as Higgins boats, headed for shore poised to change the course of history. The Higgins Boat LCVP (Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel) became famous for the crucial role it played during the Normandy landings, and at nearly every major amphibious operation during WWII. They are often referred to as “the boat that won the war”.
Today, 75 years after the end of WWII, there are only nine surviving original Higgins Boats in the United States, out of only nineteen known originals in the world. Even fewer of these surviving examples are restored and seaworthy. In April 2020, the WWII Veterans History Project had the privilege to acquire one of these rare boats. Over the coming years, we will be restoring this exceptionally significant landing craft to its wartime condition and bring our LCVP back to the water where it belongs.
But we need your help to make #SavingHiggins possible. Help us on this journey.
Above: Our Higgins Boat LCVP being offloaded in Florida by Bryson Crane on April 21, 2020.
Built during the height of WWII in the 1940s, our Higgins Boat has seen a lot over the past 75 years. In recent years, the boat was found in California before being brought to Texas in the 1990s. After lying on the ground for nearly 20 years, a call to action was placed looking for someone to save this Higgins Boat. The WWII Veterans History Project answered that call, and we are working diligently to bring this boat back to life. In April 2020, an incredible team, including several veterans who donated their time, raised the LCVP and sent it on its thousand-mile journey from Texas to Florida to begin its next chapter. Now, we are working to stabilize the condition of our Higgins Boat and prepare it for restoration. On April 21, 2020, the Higgins Boat arrived at a temporary storage location in Florida in preparation for restoration.
Above: The WWII Veterans History Project reunited a wartime 48-star flag with the Higgins Boat, a vessel built in the 1940s for use during WWII.
Although it is a heartbreaking fact, we must come to terms with the reality that one day, there will no longer be WWII veterans to give firsthand accounts of the war. Historical artifacts, like this original WWII Higgins Boat, combined with our library of hundreds of oral histories, will allow future generations to have a greater understanding of the service and sacrifices of our Greatest Generation. Restoration efforts to make this vessel seaworthy again are urgent to give our nation's last surviving WWII veterans the chance to experience the Higgins Boat one last time.
We need your help to get one of the last surviving WWII Higgins Boats back in the water. Contribute to #SavingHiggins today and do your part to preserve this rare piece of American heritage for future generations.
All donations are made to the WWII Veterans History Project, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, and are tax-deductible. Please join us and be a part of this important project. For more information visit SavingHiggins.com
Above: A Higgins boat carrying US Army soldiers heads for the shore of France during the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944.
Above: Our Higgins Boat being loaded onto the trailer for its 1,000 mile journey from Texas to Florida.
June 6, 1944, will forever be known as D-Day. Early that morning, thousands of small wooded landing craft, known as Higgins boats, headed for shore poised to change the course of history. The Higgins Boat LCVP (Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel) became famous for the crucial role it played during the Normandy landings, and at nearly every major amphibious operation during WWII. They are often referred to as “the boat that won the war”.
Today, 75 years after the end of WWII, there are only nine surviving original Higgins Boats in the United States, out of only nineteen known originals in the world. Even fewer of these surviving examples are restored and seaworthy. In April 2020, the WWII Veterans History Project had the privilege to acquire one of these rare boats. Over the coming years, we will be restoring this exceptionally significant landing craft to its wartime condition and bring our LCVP back to the water where it belongs.
But we need your help to make #SavingHiggins possible. Help us on this journey.
Above: Our Higgins Boat LCVP being offloaded in Florida by Bryson Crane on April 21, 2020.Built during the height of WWII in the 1940s, our Higgins Boat has seen a lot over the past 75 years. In recent years, the boat was found in California before being brought to Texas in the 1990s. After lying on the ground for nearly 20 years, a call to action was placed looking for someone to save this Higgins Boat. The WWII Veterans History Project answered that call, and we are working diligently to bring this boat back to life. In April 2020, an incredible team, including several veterans who donated their time, raised the LCVP and sent it on its thousand-mile journey from Texas to Florida to begin its next chapter. Now, we are working to stabilize the condition of our Higgins Boat and prepare it for restoration. On April 21, 2020, the Higgins Boat arrived at a temporary storage location in Florida in preparation for restoration.
Above: The WWII Veterans History Project reunited a wartime 48-star flag with the Higgins Boat, a vessel built in the 1940s for use during WWII.Although it is a heartbreaking fact, we must come to terms with the reality that one day, there will no longer be WWII veterans to give firsthand accounts of the war. Historical artifacts, like this original WWII Higgins Boat, combined with our library of hundreds of oral histories, will allow future generations to have a greater understanding of the service and sacrifices of our Greatest Generation. Restoration efforts to make this vessel seaworthy again are urgent to give our nation's last surviving WWII veterans the chance to experience the Higgins Boat one last time.
We need your help to get one of the last surviving WWII Higgins Boats back in the water. Contribute to #SavingHiggins today and do your part to preserve this rare piece of American heritage for future generations.
All donations are made to the WWII Veterans History Project, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, and are tax-deductible. Please join us and be a part of this important project. For more information visit SavingHiggins.com
Above: A Higgins boat carrying US Army soldiers heads for the shore of France during the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944.Above: Our Higgins Boat being loaded onto the trailer for its 1,000 mile journey from Texas to Florida.Organiser
Benjamin Mack-Jackson
Organiser
Clermont, FL
Wwii Veterans History Project Inc
Registered charity
Donations are typically 100% tax-deductible in the US.
