The Jan. 27th Evansville (In) Courier Press reports that the LST-325 is expected to be placed on the Indiana registry of Historic Places, a first step on the road to inclusion on the National registry of Historic Places.
The LST, one of few remaining ships, is currently docked in Evansville after being on a temporary home at Mobile, Alabama. LST stands for Landing Ship, Tank. One of its main jobs was to land tanks, men, and vehicles directly onto an enemy beach.
They have a website: www.lstmemorial.com
During World War II, LSTs were made in Evansville on a 45-acre site along the Ohio River. At peak operation, the shipyard employed 19,000 and completed two ships a week. They were originally contracted for 24 ships, but ended up launching 167 LSTs and 24 other ships.
The LST-325 was not, unfortunately, launched from Evansville, but from Philadelphia. It participated in North Africa operations and Sicily. It was at Omaha Beach on D-Day and made more than 40 trips across the English Channel. After decommissioning in 1946, it served in the Greek Navy from 1964 to 1999.
The ship is 327 feet long and has a 50 foot beam.
I had the opportunity to talk with a man who had been on an LST in the Pacific during the war. His interview can be found on my http://roaddogsroadlog.blogspot.com blog for January.
Great Job in the Preservation of a Ship that Had So Much to Do With Victory During World War II. --Cooter
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