(This article first appeared in the November print edition of the Hendersonian.)
This month, as we honor our veterans and observe Veterans Day, it’s a capital time to take a short drive across the river and visit a couple of local entities that are preserving some priceless pieces of American history.
USS LST Ship Memorial
Located on the downtown Evansville riverfront in Riverfront Park (where the casino boat was previously located), USS LST-325 and its museum exhibits, programs, artifacts, oral histories and other materials show visitors all about the role of the LST in conflicts from 1941 to 1978.
The museum zeroes in on the vessels’ service in the World War II years and the ship building industries (including one in Evansville) that produced them.
During World War II, the Evansville riverfront became a shipyard producing LSTs, which were amphibious vessels, designed to land battle-ready tanks, troops and supplies directly onto enemy shores.
At its peak, the Evansville Shipyard had a workforce of more than 19,000 workers and completed two of these massive ships per week, becoming the largest inland producer of LSTs in the US. Although the Evansville Shipyard was originally contracted to build 24 ships, the city would eventually produce 167 LSTs and 35 other vessels.
USS LST-325 wasn’t built in Evansville, however. It was constructed in about 10 weeks and launched in October 1942 from the Philadelphia ship yard.
It has a colorful history.
The ship operated in the North African area and participated in invasions in Sicily and Italy.
On June 6, 1944, LST-325 was part of the largest armada in history by participating in the invasion of Normandy at Omaha Beach. She carried 59 vehicles, 30 officers and a total of 396 enlisted men on that first trip.
On her first trip back to England from France, LST-325 transported 38 casualties back to a friendly port. Over the next nine months, Navy records show LST-325 made more than 40 trips across the English Channel carrying thousands of men and pieces of equipment needed by troops to successfully complete the liberation of Europe.
According to the museum website, this ship known as LST-325 during the World War II became USNS LST-325 during its Arctic operations in the 1950s, and later L-144 (A/G Syros) while it was in the service of the Greek Navy.
It was acquired by The USS LST Ship Memorial, Inc., in 2000, and gained considerable public attention when a crew of veterans brought the rusty ship on a 6,500-mile journey from the Greek island of Crete to Mobile, Alabama.
LST-325 went through a facelift transformation in just eight months, mirroring the speed of its original construction, and was “unveiled” in September 2001 at the U.S. LST Association’s convention in Mobile with its wartime appearance preserved.
So is its seaworthiness. Since it arrived in its new home port of Evansville in October 2005, volunteers often take LST-325 sailing to visit other cities where LSTs were built.
It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The museum’s winter hours (November-March) are Wednesday-Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The last guided tour starts at 3 p.m. General admission is $15 with discounts for youth and children.
Information: LSTMemorial.org
Evansville Wartime Museum
While you’re already immersed in the history of World War II, head up the road just a little bit farther to the Evansville Wartime Museum.
Located at 7503 Petersburg Road near Evansville Regional Airport, the museum has galleries and exhibits that interpret the area’s wartime history and achievements.
During WWII, Evansville was the home of Republic Aviation, which produced P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft, one of the inspirations for establishing this museum.
It offers examples of wartime production, the stories of area veterans and vehicles and aircraft from the WWII era.
From October through March, it’s open from noon to 4 p.m. on Monday and Thursday-Sunday. From April through September, it’s open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday and Friday-Saturday and from noon to 4 p.m. on Thursday and Sunday. General admission is $11, but there are discounts for children, veterans, first responders and seniors.
Information: www.EvansvilleWartimeMuseum.org
