8. The LCVP/Higgins Boat
The LCVP, an acronym for “Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel,” was a landing craft that was highly functional in amphibious landings. Andrew Higgins modeled them based on boats used in marshes and swamplands and were generally built with plywood. These barge-like vessels could transport up to 36 men to shore at one time, and up to 20,000 were produced by Higgins Industries. Dwight D. Eisenhower praised the Higgins boats for their efficiency and claimed they were crucial to the Allied victory.
Initially, Higgins had difficulty getting the attention of the military. But with persistence and a superior product, he designed a special craft to carry infantry platoons and jeeps to shore. This boat that became crucially useful in every major American amphibious operation in the European and Pacific theaters was the main reason Higgin became very well-established, not only winning huge government contracts but also competing with the more established shipyards of the Northeast.