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Higgins Factory Photos

EARLY HIGGINS
These are early versions of the PT 71-94 - series 78-foot boats built by Higgins Industries, Inc. I feel that the Higgins boat is the ugly duckling of the mosquito fleet; referred to as the 'box with a point at one end', the boat is certainly not as graceful as either the 77' or 80' Elco. But, I find the boat an interesting subject. I found these pictures at the National Archives, and several of them show how these boats were originally designed. These boats were destined to go to MTB Squadron Thirteen, but serious defects in weight and design prevented the Navy from taking delivery for months.
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