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LST 325 on Mississippi And Ohio River Cruise June 3 - August 18, 2003 (As reported in "The Waterways Journal" of June 2, 2003) Photos by Hunter Daigle Kirby Inland Marine LP (The pictures were taken during the early portion of the cruise.) LST Built In Evansville To Return To Rivers Starting next week, a vessel that hasn't been seen in these parts in decades will make a tour of various inland river ports, including the port where it was built more than 60 years ago. LST-325 was constructed at Evansville (Ind.) Shipyard in 1942-43, and went first to Algeria, where it was used to practice landing operations with American and British Army units. In July 1943, it was used in the invasion of Sicily, and then was involved in various other actions before heading for England. On June 5, 1944, the ship sailed from Falmouth, England, carrying elements of the 5th Special Engineer Brigade. LST-325 was part of Force "B," the back-up force for the troops going ashore at Omaha Beach the following day. Over the next 11 months, LST-325 made 44 trips between England and France, carrying troops and supplies that would help win World War II. The ship was decommissioned following the war, but that wasn't the end of its history. It was reactivated in 1951 for service in the Military Sea Transport Service arctic operations. Later it became part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet, and in 1964 it was transferred to Greece, where it served in the Greek Navy until 1999 when it was decommissioned for the third time. It was acquired by the USS Ship Memorial Inc. in 2000 and brought back across the Atlantic Ocean for the last time, to Mobile, Ala., where it has been undergoing renovation into a museum ship. This summer it will make its first voyage out of Mobile since returning to the United States, a trip to a number of inland river ports. Towing of the LST during the trip will be performed by various companies including Kirby Corporation, Luhr Bros. Inc., Madison Coal & Supply Company Inc., and American Commercial Barge Line. The tentative itinerary for the voyage [on June 2] includes the following ports:
June 3, Depart Mobile, Ala.
June 7-11, Vicksburg, Miss. June 13-18, Memphis, Tenn. June 20-25, Cape Girardeau, Mo. June 26-July 7, St. Louis, Mo. July 11-22, Evansville, Ind. July 24-28, Jeffersonville, Ind. July 31-August 4, Paducah, Ky. August 8-11, Greenville, Miss. August 14-18, New Orleans, La. For information about LST-325 or the memorial voyage, including an extensive history of the ship and photographs, access www.lstmemorial.org. The following 15 pictures are selected from 28 pictures taken by Hunter Daigle. In this series, they are in the tow of Luhr Bros. Inc., Mv. Cletus. The tow is moving in from the viewers left, so all are moving left to right in these scenes. If you have never seen an LST up close, this is your chance. They are printed with written permission from the Photographer. Click on image for larger view.
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