The National WWII Museum’s patrol torpedo boat, PT-305, has her new assignment—a permanent home on the Museum’s campus in the John E. Kushner Restoration Pavilion. Having her back on campus provides an opportunity for hundreds of thousands of Museum visitors each year to observe the fully restored vessel up close and learn of her wartime crew members and tours of duty.

Obtained by the Museum in 2007, PT-305 was originally housed in Kushner while volunteers generously dedicated more than 120,000 hours over 10 years to complete her restoration. In March 2017, the iconic vessel became the world’s only fully restored combat-veteran PT boat in operation, offering rides and tours on the waters of Lake Pontchartrain, where she was originally tested by Higgins Industries. In spring 2020, the Museum made the decision to move PT-305 to storage while developing plans to make her more accessible to wider audiences by bringing her back to the main Museum campus.

After completing her final journey from Lake Pontchartrain to the Port of New Orleans through the streets of the Central Business District on July 9, 2022, PT-305 underwent preparations to reset the boat from operational and storage conditions to permanent display. During that time, Kushner remained closed to the public until it reopened in August 2024, now offering viewing from the Lester and Beverly Wainer PT-305 Viewing Terrace. The reconfiguration of Kushner to once again house PT-305 will also include an expansion of the Museum’s STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) Innovation Gallery, focusing on how problems were solved during World War II through ingenuity and innovation.

The fastest US naval ships in World War II, PT boats played an essential and dramatic role in advancing America’s military campaigns in the aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Heavily armed, equipped with advanced technology, uniquely maneuverable, often ingeniously modified, and reliant on cooperation and teamwork, PT boats were a perfect naval expression of the American spirit at war.

The Museum’s PT-305, nicknamed USS Sudden Jerk, was acquired in a state of disrepair. Originally built in New Orleans by Higgins Industries, she was a critical asset for the US Navy during World War II, serving in European waters from 1944 to the end of the war. However, after a series of civilian career detours – including service as a New York tour boat, an oyster boat, and a fishing charter -- this storied WWII veteran had made her way to Galveston, Texas, and was dry docked when the Museum acquired her in 2007.

Nearly 10 years later—after approximately $3 million worth of in-kind donations and contributions from more than 100 supporters, along with consultation by the US Coast Guard—PT-305 was relocated from Kushner to Lake Pontchartrain. When she began sailing her home waters in March 2017 as a piece of living history, she introduced new generations to her agility and prowess and even allowed veterans to once again experience their special bond with this essential and unique piece of wartime machinery. Roughly 3,800 visitors rode aboard PT-305, speeding over the waves just as her crew did in the Mediterranean during World War II. An additional 3,900 visitors followed in the footsteps of PT veterans through deck tours, standing where members of the US Navy stood to attack Axis supply ships and troop transports.