Higgins PT Boat Badge
These WWII PT boat badges, though unofficial, were prized by their owners
General Eisenhower said Andrew Jackson Higgins was "The man who won the war for us." A feisty Irishman from New Orleans, Higgins had many disagreements with the Army, Navy and Marines, until they learned to leave him alone and let him build his boats.
Higgins designed and built all types of landing craft, used in every theatre of war, that were known world-wide as "Higgins boats." However, few know or recall that he also built motor torpedo boats (popularly known as "PT boats").
During WWII, Higgins Industries operated two plants in New Orleans, one on City Park Avenue and another on the Industrial Canal in the Gentilly section. During the war, the Industrial Canal near the Higgins plant was often impassible because of the row upon row of PT boats choking it.
The PT boats that were made at the City Park plant were taken by railroad to the Industrial Canal plant where most of the landing craft were made. Here they were floated and workers fitted out the boats.
The Industrial Canal connects the Mississippi River to Lake Pontchartrain. Higgins' boats could be put into the lake for sea trials, then run through the canal to the river to be loaded aboard merchant ships to be shipped to wherever in the world they were needed. Other boats allotted to closer destinations, were sent down the river to the Gulf of Mexico and on to their assigned stations.
HIGGINS PIN
Higgins designed a pin-back badge, in the profile of the port side of one of his PT boats. He contracted with GEMSCO to produce the pin in plated silver metal. Higgins presented the pins to the Navy crews who took possession of the boats at the Industrial Canal plant.
These pins were 2-5/8" long by 5/16" high and depicted the side view of a PT boat throwing a bow wave. The bow of the PT boat pin is marked "PT 450" which is said to be the number of the first boat built by Higgins. On the side of the cabin is the logo of Higgins Industries--the letter "H." The back of the pin is marked "GEMSCO NY."
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Clem graduated from Jesuit Catholic Preparatory School in New Orleans in 1948, joined the US Navy Reserves, served in the US Army Signal Corps during the Korean War and attended the US Merchant Marine Academy.
He served 30 years aboard numerous merchant ships which allowed him to pursue his childhood passion of collecting military insignia. During his seven years of sailing in and out of Vietnam, Clem acquired an unimaginable collection of Vietnam War insignia. Every country’s port was a gold mine of tailor shops and junk stores.
In 1989, Clem took over the Vietnam Insignia Collectors Newsletter from Cecil Smyth. He quickly became the de facto overseer of the hobby.
Clem contributed numerous articles on various military insignia to Military Trader and Military Advisor. Clem died at the age of 87 on 3 February 2018. His knowledge and expertise will be missed. He will long be remembered. — Bill Brooks
