Cantigny displays World War II landing craft
A World War II landing craft that’s been fully restored since it was found rusting in a field in northern France will be on display through June 13 at Cantigny’s First Division Museum in Wheaton.
Museum officials brought the historic Higgins boat out from weatherproof storage Monday as part of their observance of the 67th anniversary of D-Day when 1,150 of the landing craft were used to deliver Allied troops to the beaches of Normandy.
Keith Gill, director of museum operations, said the boat has been very popular on the rare occasions it has been on display.
The First Division Museum even has a replica of a landing craft that visitors sit in to watch a video about D-Day.
“Storming the beaches of Normandy was an iconic moment in the history of the First Division,” Gill said. “So having a landing craft is essential. We just wish we could display it more frequently but the weather conditions would ruin it.”
Formally called Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel (LCVP), the barge-like boats were used in every amphibious assault during World War II. And even though the United States manufactured more than 22,000 of them during the war, Gill said fewer than a dozen are known to exist today.
Despite going through a six-month cosmetic restoration at the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort, N.C., Gill said rain and snow damage would quickly destroy the primarily wood vessel if it was left outside.
“Unfortunately the boat, (which weighs 9 tons) is so large that we just don’t have a proper display for it and can only bring it out for special occasions like this one,” Gill said. “Ideally we’d like to expand the museum to be able to better tell it’s story.”
Gill said museum officials have begun “exploring ideas” and “developing concepts” for an expansion plan that would allow the museum to house more military pieces, including the landing craft and a UH-1 Huey Gunship helicopter currently stored at Bolingbrook’s Clow International Airport.
But until that time, viewings will be limited to this week in the museum parking lot at 1S151 Winfield Road. Gill said the ramp will be closed and the boat covered in the case of rain. Otherwise, the ramp will be down to allow guests to look inside the landing craft.