Higgins PT Boat

Higgins Industries World War II 1942-1945 $500,000+ (extremely rare)

Why it matters

Andrew Higgins' boats helped win World War II. His landing craft put troops on beaches from Normandy to Iwo Jima. But the PT boats were the glamour assignment — fast, lethal, and crewed by volunteers who knew the odds. John F. Kennedy commanded PT-109. These were the mosquito fleet that stung the Japanese Navy.

Specifications

Hull Material Double-planked mahogany
Length 78 ft
Beam 20 ft 8 in
Draft 5 ft
Weight 56 tons
Engine 3x Packard W-14 V-12 marine engines
Engine Type inboard
Horsepower 4,500 hp total
Passengers 17
Production 199 built by Higgins

Notable Features

  • 80 mph top speed
  • Torpedo armament
  • JFK's PT-109
  • Plywood and mahogany construction

Patina notes

PT boats were never meant to last. They were expendable weapons, used hard and discarded. The few survivors show the emergency repairs, the combat damage, the modifications made in forward areas. This is wartime patina — improvised, functional, irreplaceable.

Preservation reality

Fewer than a dozen PT boats survive, most in museums. PT-617 at Battleship Cove, PT-796 at the National WWII Museum. Private ownership is essentially impossible. These are among the rarest preserved vessels in America. Every one is a national treasure.

Clubs

  • PT Boats, Inc.
  • National WWII Museum

Events

  • PT Boat Reunion (annual)

Sources