Andrew Jackson Higgins – the New Noah

June 6, 2009 · Filed Under History 

General Dwight Eisenhower is quoted as saying, “Andrew Higgins … is the man who won the war for us…” On this the 65th anniversary of D-Day, it seems worthwhile to remember Andrew Jackson Higgins, who designed, manufactured and fought the Navy bureaucracy in order to deliver the “Higgins boats”, the landing craft that made the Allied amphibious landings and ultimate victory possible.   From an article written by Ken Ringle for the Washington Post in 2000:
The Boat That Sank Hitler

Perhaps the man whom Higgins most impressed was Adolf Hitler, who, despite Allied landings in North Africa and Italy, could not conceive of a successful invasion of France being carried out over beaches alone.

“On June 7, 1944, the day after D-Day, when told of the size of the Allied landings, carried out without access to French ports, Hitler asked his generals, ‘How did they do that?’ ” Ambrose says.

“When told about Higgins and the thousands of landing craft his factory had spawned, Hitler said, ‘Truly this man is the new Noah.’ ”

No other country had anything that performed like them. Nothing quite like them had ever been seen. And, though it is rarely appreciated, the U.S. Navy, which ultimately rode to victory in Higgins boats, fought Higgins, his design and his production efforts almost every step of the way.

At one point in 1941, having belatedly discovered the need for a landing craft to carry tanks, the Navy asked Higgins to begin designing one. Instead of a design he delivered a working boat–the LCM (Landing Craft, Mechanized)–that would serve the rest of the war. It had been conceived, designed and built in 61 hours.

By 1943, Higgins Industries had grown to seven plants and employed more than 20,000 people. In September of that year the U.S. Navy had 14,072 vessels. Of these, 12,964, or 92 percent of the entire Navy, were designed by Higgins Industries; 8,865 were built in Higgins plants here.

While a landing craft is obviously not the same as an aircraft carrier, the figure is nonetheless instructive. At the peak of production Higgins was turning out 700 boats a month–more than all other shipyards in the nation combined. By war’s end he had turned out 20,094 boats, ranging from the 36-foot LCVP (Landing Craft, Vehicle & Personnel) to the lightning-fast PT boats, the rocket-firing landing craft support boats, the 56-foot tank landing craft, the 170-foot freight supply ships and the 27-foot airborne lifeboats that could be dropped from the belly of a B-17 bomber. He was also making parts for the atomic bomb.

Though applauded by Harry Truman and others investigating defense procurement, Higgins was not universally beloved. He outraged other contractors by underbidding them for contracts, luring away their workers with higher wages and unmasking a scandalous black market in steel. When he couldn’t find crucial materials, he stole them. Nothing, he said, should get in the way of the war effort.

He fought unionization bitterly, but when it was forced on him, he became labor’s biggest wartime champion. He scandalized the segregated South by giving black workers responsible jobs and paying them the same as white workers. He pioneered equal pay for women, the disabled, the elderly–any worker he could find who hadn’t been drafted. What profits he made went back into the business. He once demanded a Navy contract be renegotiated downward because he was making too much money while American boys were dying.

 

 

 

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Comments

Leave a Reply




Video of the Moment

HMS Surprise and Star of India

Also featuring the Californian
and the Lynx

To be notified of blog updates
enter your email address:

  • Viagra ordre
  • Cialis en ligne
  • Levitra en ligne
  • Propecia acheter
  • Viagra acheter
  • Acheter cialis
  • Ordre levitra
  • Ordre propecia
  • En ligne viagra
  • Vente cialis
  • Levitra bon marche
  • Propecia en ligne
  • Viagra online
  • Buy cialis
  • Order Levitra
  • Buy propecia
  • Buy viagra
  • Cheap cialis
  • Cheap Levitra
  • propecia online
  • Viagra prescription
  • Cialis online
  • Buy Levitra
  • Order propecia