The National WWII Museum Reopens John E. Kushner Restoration Pavilion, Featuring Restored PT-305
August 20, 2024 | In the PressFrom New Orleans (https://www.myneworleans.com/the-national-wwii-museum-reopens-john-e-kushner-restoration-pavilion-featuring-restored-pt-305/)
The National WWII Museum’s John E. Kushner Restoration Pavilion has reopened to the public, offering up-close looks at restored WWII macro-artifacts and exploring the scientific advancements of the era.
The museum’s patrol torpedo boat, PT-305, is on display as the centerpiece of the renovated pavilion. A new viewing terrace allows visitors to view the fully restored vessel from top to bottom, and related artifacts and interactive digital elements explore her wartime crew and tours of duty. The pavilion also houses the STEM Innovation Gallery, an educational space that gives visitors the opportunity to engage in tactile learning and exploration.
Originally built in New Orleans by Higgins Industries, PT-305, nicknamed USS Sudden Jerk, was a critical asset for the US Navy during World War II, serving in Mediterranean waters from 1944 to the end of the war. After years of civilian use, PT-305 was obtained by the museum in 2007, and volunteers worked to restore her for the next 10 years, dedicating more than 120,000 hours of labor. In March 2017, the iconic vessel began offering rides and tours on Lake Pontchartrain, where she was originally tested by Higgins Industries. In 2022, PT-305 returned to the museum as plans were developed to make her more accessible to wider audiences on campus.
“With PT-305 officially on display in Kushner Restoration Pavilion, where she was restored to her former glory, the museum offers visitors the unique opportunity to interact with a WWII artifact of this scale and significance,” said Curator and Restoration Manager Cory Graff. “We are excited that new generations can now get up close with PT-305 and connect with the experience of the service members who fought aboard her.”
Building on the museum’s successful STEM line of student programming, the STEM Innovation Gallery features hands-on experiments and authentic WWII-era macro-artifacts, including a Dodge WC-9 Ambulance and LVT-4 (Landing Vehicle Tracked), to show how science, technology, engineering, and math contributed to—and advanced—the Allied effort during World War II.
In the future, guided tours of PT-305’s interior will be offered, and the pavilion will include a dedicated facility for the restoration and preservation of the museum’s priceless collection of WWII macro-artifacts, which includes aircraft, boats, tanks, and vehicles. Some of the anticipated first projects will be the museum’s M3A1 Stewart tank, 1943 Ford-American LaFrance fire truck, and Clark aircraft tug. The restoration work will be performed by museum staff and volunteers, in full view of the public – with an observation space providing a unique peek into the maintenance of WWII-era vehicles and other artifacts.
A native New Orleanian, John E. Kushner was an ardent enthusiast of WWII history and had a particular affinity for collecting and restoring artifacts. He donated several valuable wartime artifacts to the museum’s collection – including a WWII jeep like the one his father, Jack Kushner, had driven during his military service. A founding Board member, Kushner believed in the importance of educating future generations about the values and lessons of World War II and was instrumental in securing the original museum site.
