LCVP (United States)

	LCVP side elevation and plan
Class overview
Builders	Higgins Industries and others
Operators	United States Navy; United States Coast Guard; Maritime Squadron of the Armed Forces of Malta; Republic of China Navy; French Navy;
Built	1942–1945
Completed	More than 23,358
General characteristics
Type	Landing craft
Displacement	18,000 lb (8,200 kg) light
Length	36 ft 3 in (11.05 m)
Beam	10 ft 10 in (3.30 m)
Draft	3 ft (0.91 m) aft; 2 ft 2 in (0.66 m) forward;
Propulsion	Gray Marine 6-71 Diesel Engine, 225 hp (168 kW) or Hall-Scott gasoline engine, 250 hp (186 kW)
Speed	12 knots (14 mph; 22 km/h)
Capacity	6,000 lb (2,700 kg) vehicle or 8,100 lb (3,700 kg) general cargo
Troops	36 troops
Crew	4: Coxswain, engineer, bowman, sternman
Armament	2 × .30 cal. (7.62 mm) Browning machine guns

The landing craft, vehicle, personnel (LCVP) or Higgins boat was a landing craft used extensively by the Allied forces in amphibious landings in World War II. Typically constructed from plywood, this shallow-draft, barge-like boat could ferry a roughly platoon-sized complement of 36 men to shore at 12 knots (14 mph; 22 km/h). Men generally entered the boat by climbing down a cargo net hung from the side of their troop transport; they exited by charging down the boat's lowered bow ramp.

Designer Andrew Higgins based it on boats made for operating in swamps and marshes. More than 23,358 were built, by Higgins Industries and licensees.^[1]^[2]

Taking the last letter of the LCVP designation, sailors often nicknamed the Higgins Boat the "Papa Boat" or "Peter Boat" to differentiate it from other landing craft such as the LCU and the LCM, with the LCM being called the "Mike Boat".^[3]

^ Herman, Arthur. Freedom's Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II.New York: Random House. ISBN 978-1-4000-6964-4. pp. 204-206.
^ Kindy, David (June 3, 2019). "The Invention That Won World War II: Patented in 1944, the Higgins boat gave the Allies the advantage in amphibious assaults". Smithsonian. Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
^ "USS Rankin Association: Her Landing Craft". ussrankin.org. The USS Rankin Association. May 14, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2022. Rankin's primary offensive weapon was the 24 landing craft she sent to enemy beaches. Her complement was 14 LCVPs, eight LCMs, and two LCPLs.

[Herman-1] Herman, Arthur. Freedom's Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II.New York: Random House. ISBN 978-1-4000-6964-4. pp. 204-206.

[Kindy-2] Kindy, David (June 3, 2019). "The Invention That Won World War II: Patented in 1944, the Higgins boat gave the Allies the advantage in amphibious assaults". Smithsonian. Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved July 20, 2022.

[boats-3] "USS Rankin Association: Her Landing Craft". ussrankin.org. The USS Rankin Association. May 14, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2022. Rankin's primary offensive weapon was the 24 landing craft she sent to enemy beaches. Her complement was 14 LCVPs, eight LCMs, and two LCPLs.

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