The Higgins PT boats was a series of patrol-torpedo (PT) boats designed and used by the United States. Several of the 78' Higgins models were operated by the Royal Navy and Royal Commandoes as strike and patrol craft during World War II.
Description[]
The Higgins PT boats were very similar to the Elco PT boats, and were all part of the PT-71-, PT-235- or PT-625-classes all built on a standard size hull measuring 23.9 meters long, 6.1 meters wide, and 1.6 meters deep, and displacing at 43.5 tons. The boats used powerful petrol engines and were capable of achieving a top speed of 41 knots. The vessels had one open deck and one lower deck with engine compartment, storage and crew accommodation. The standard crew requirement for a Higgins was eleven men.
Variants[]
The Higgins had three main variants, but in reality, dozens of different types were in existance due to eccessive modification by crews and commanders.[1]
The first type of Higgins produced by the United States was the 19' Higgins, or Type-19. The vessel was classified a standard Patrol-Torpedo boat. Armed with two Browning M2HB machine guns in a central gun tower and four 14 inch torpedo barrels which were rolled off the side of boat into the water for firing. The 19' Higgins, however, was soon outdated and replaced.
The second variant of the Higgins was 78' Higgins. This vessel was classified a Patrol Torpedo boat by the United States Navy. Many of this type were purchased by Great Britain in the late 1930s, and were classified as gun boats by the Royal Navy. The 78' Higgins had entirely rearranged upper deck, now with two gun towers, one forward to starboard, the other aft to port, each fitted with two Browning M1919A4 machine guns on dual mounts. The cockpit was also moved to be opposite the forward gun tower on port side. Like it's predecessor, the 78' Higgins suffered from a lack of armor.
The third and final variant of the Higgins was designed to remedy the problems of the first two. Firstly, new armor was fitted and armament was fitted and the upper deck reverted back to the layout of the 19' Higgins. The 99' Higgins was the most common model used by the United States Navy, many being involved in fighting in the Pacific. The vessel were upgunned, armed with two Browning M2HB machine guns, a 20 mm cannon at the aft of the boat, as well as additional depth charges.[2]
History[]
99' Higgins PT boats with the tender USS Gillis after the Battle for the Aleutians Islands.
The Higgins PT boats were developed in the early 1930s in the United States by Higgins Industries in New Orleans. 199 models were manufactured, many of the various models were sold to other countries, namely Great Britain and the USSR at the beginning of the War. The vessels were used by the Royal Navy for coastal patrol and pursuit. With formation of the Royal Commandoes in early 1941, the 78' Higgins became a popular strike and extraction vessel. The United States Navy's Higgins PT boats were first used in the Battle for the Aleutian Islands as part of Squadrons 13 and 16. Other groups of Higgins boats part of Squadrons 15 and 22 were used against the Germans in the Mediterranean and during the D-Day landings of Operation Overlord. Despite the small amount of Higgins boats produced, they proved to be worthy opponents of the PT boats of Germany, Italy, and Japan.