D Day Memorial visit to USS LST 325.....Pics

[Cane Pole]

LST 325 was retrieved from Greece and restored by former crew members in Greece before crossing the Atlantic under it's own power en route to Mobile, Al. One of our friends, Bailey Wrinkle from McKenzie, Tn, was a crew member and went to Greece during a six month restoration and worked as a crew member during the crossing. Can you imagine a 70 year old ship crossing the Atlantic without any escort?

This LST landed troops on D Day. They plan to return the LST to Normandy, France in 2014 for the 70 year reunion.

The LST was moored in Clarksville, Tn. on the Cumberland River for visitation over this past weekend. Brenda and I toured the ship. Sure brought back a lot of memories.

Click the pic for the slide show. Enjoy a piece of heroic history.

[fishingpox]

Great slide. I would love to go to the engine rooms. Back in the day when I was in my first years of rewinding electrical motors, most of the older guys were Navy men, they learned to rebuild motors on the ships. True machinist. Now all those guys are gone , here I am with 35 years experience and no youngons coming up for me to teach. Well, maybe the Navy will put more machinist out for public duty.

[Billbob]

love the 1 for EB

[Cane Pole]

love the 1 for EB

It is an exit "pole". ha

[jaxsprat]

It is an exit "pole". ha

Or a democratic think tank.............

[Lowellhturner]

The Landing Ship Tank aka "Large SLOW Target" was instrurmental for delivering large numbers of combat and/ or support vehicles (upto 18 "Shermans" each) in a single beaching, and were often in the 4th or 5th waves ashore. They were coordinated to come ashore at low tide when ever possible to limit the time they were immobilized on the beach and when unloaded and being much lighter drew in their retrieval anchors to unground themselves. During the "Omaha" landings on D Day the 12 LSTs assigned were all badly shot up, 3 were abandoned; the others were likely only saved by a destroyer division that carefully came into very shallow water just offshore and precisely delivered literally point blank 5" broadsides at the Nazi heavier guns and then took up "bunker busting" turning over 70 concrete emplacements into smoking craters; 3 of those 6 destroyers were lost to mines, but they WERE the difference between staying on the beach and then slowly advancing inland or being forced to attemp a withdrawl from bloody "Omaha" under murderous fire...

[Bowbender]

My dad was a POW in Germany during WW2 thanks for the pics and serving your country! I'm proud to be an American!!