The PT-305 was manufactured by Higgins Industries in New Orleans. The keel (foundation of the ship) was laid down on March 30, 1943 at the City Park Plant. The ship was launched on May 27, 1943 and was later completed at the Industrial Canal Plant on December 8, 1943. For the American Navy, the boat was a critical asset in the days after Pearl Harbor when the United States were short on larger vessels and facing an onslaught of attacks from the Japanese. The actions of PT boat crews in the Philippines and Solomon Islands represent an outstanding example of the American Spirit in action. The ship was used by the allies in WWII and for that reason I’m going to be explaining how the ship was made, from raw to materials to manufacturing plants, …show more content…
The war however ended while the squadron was still in New York Harbor. The Squadron was decommissioned November 15, 1945 still under the command of LCDR Richard J. Dressling. On June 18, 1948, PT-305 was sold along with the rest of the squadron of ships. While there were hundreds of ships used in WWII, this specific model number was interesting because of the way it was used and how its use was shifted from point to point. First being used to attack capital enemy ships, but then commissioned to use to transport material and soldiers through deadly coastal waters. Another significance goes with how important this model was, was how many raids it was used in while in southern Europe. From invasions of Italy to being transported from England to France for D-day. There were just so many uses for this versatile ship, and that definitely had a prominent impact on the war itself. “Higgins Industries produced over sixty different items for the US government during the war. Higgins ranked 70th among United States corporations in the value of World War II military production contracts. The resulting business success allowed Andrew Higgins to expand into several other ventures, including Higgins Aircraft, Higgins Engine Co., and Higgins Plastics Corp. After the war, he tried to transition this capability into consumer products such as appliances, personal …show more content…
In June 2006, The National WWII Museum was contacted by the Defenders of America Naval Museum about the possible transfer of PT-305. The vessel was transported to the Museum campus in April 2007. With the help of the faithful Higgins boat volunteers, PT-305 has been completely restored to her wartime condition. Everything except the weapons are fully operational. Its home is now a custom-built boathouse on Lake Pontchartrain, where guests will be able to purchase tours and rides on the boat. One of the ships was completely restored and set to be moved to a museum back in its hometown. “There’s nothing like this anywhere,” said Stephen Watson, the museum’s chief operating officer (NY Times, 1). “We’ve always tried to do things here that bring history to life in an unexpected way” (NY Times, 1). The maneuver on Saturday, with the 50-ton boat riding on a 64-wheeled, remote-controlled crawler, certainly caught some pedestrians by surprise. Others just had to see it with their own eyes. “Jerry Lousteau’s standard poodle, Satchmo, barked at the boat as it deftly navigated the right turn off Magazine Street onto St. Joseph Street a little after 7:30 a.m. Mr. Lousteau said that his father-in-law was wounded on Iwo Jima during the war, but he confessed he had come out because he just was fascinated by a giant moving operation” (NY Times, 1).