Three excited boys prepare to tour the LST-325 in the Cumberland River, Clarksville, TN.
The LST-325 – a Landing Ship Tank, or amphibious vessel (I knew we’d get our memory work in there somehow! Ha!). This is the largest ship ever designed to place tanks, troops and cargo onto a hostile beach and then retract off. 1,051 of these were built for WWII.
Entrance to the tank deck, which could hold 20 Sherman tanks or 16 Marine LVTs – 30 tons each:
The boys sit at the helideck that was used during Korea and Vietnam:
Levi gazes at one of the guns on the main deck:
Troop berthing – could hold up to 300 troops for long distances. The bunks are as they were in 1942.
The WWII guru – all that studying about WWII came to life on September 26, 2012! Stephen kept talking about the beaches of Normandy: “…and I wonder if it was Utah beach or Omaha…?” He was thrilled! (And I was realizing how much more I needed to study up on WWII if I was going to try to have an intelligent conversation with my son.)
This ship – built during WWII – is 99% original, operates on its own power, and has a completely volunteer crew of veterans. Click here to watch/hear the inspirational story of how this ship was found in a neglected state and then fixed and brought back 6,500 miles from Greece to the United States…
Imagine Stephen’s grin as he said, “I have walked on a ‘ship that won the war.'”
Stephen says, “If you are ever near Evansville, Indiana, YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS!!” Visit the LST Memorial 325 website for schedule and pricing.