I love history. Whether it is a monument now in a Boston neighborhood or the Stuhr Museum in Nebraska I seek them out. Recently, I discovered that a historical ship would make a stop in Nashville. I invited my father-in-law and he was all in for the trip. What a great morning spent among volunteers, veterans, and the crew.
An LST, Large Ship Tank, is what made battles like Normandy, Patton tank offensive in Africa and Iwo Jima possible. Created to land tanks and troops in as little as 3 feet of water this ship made landings of equipment and men possible. LST 325 along with 1025 additional ships were built by the Evansville shipyard along with many other products to support the war effort. LST-325 is last operational ship of the class.
The Cumberland river was near flood stage so the ship which had landed the day before became an island for a day. The water began to recede over night leaving the crew to navigate the waters. My father-in-law and I arrived about a half-hour before the scheduled opening. We quickly came to understand that the boat was resting on a rock. The next two-hours involved three tugboats and several explanations of the danger of death if a rope was to break including to a mother and her 2 year old wanting a look.
The Ship Tour Begins
Finally, the tour began. We entered through the front doors to an open covered storage area almost the length of the ship. On this deck there was a full size replica of a Sherman tank to demonstrate the size of the space. There were also several scale models of ships and a jeep. We next climbed to the galley and the main deck level.
Next we our way up to the navigation and the bridge. We passed a machine gun turret with a loaded magazine. As we turned to the front of this level my father-in-law waited under the canopy. A crew member who served at Iwo Jima engaged him in conversation which he thoroughly enjoyed. He talked about his dad’s service and his love of history and it was a love they both truly understood and believed is missing in this current generation.
As we made our way back to massive main deck it puts perspective to the deck below. We made our way through the bunks and a guide provided the insight of bunks, packs and gear would be kept with the men as they were traveling. We made our way down steps leading back to the first deck and bookstore and outside.
As we returned to the waiting area we saw a number of people waiting for the tour. We began to climb the steps and saw many more, easily a couple of hundred waiting for a turn to take their tour. This was a blessing.
LST 325 is last in the class, but provides a reflecting point for the freedom so proudly fought for by the generation willing to sacrifice all for their country and the world.
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