USS LST - 325

The day we were on the Ohio River for the CG Patrol of the Triathlon – Louisville , I took these pictures of the USS LST 325 docked at Jeffersonville, IN. USS LST-325, a 2366-ton LST-1st class tank landing ship, was built at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Pennsylvania. Commissioned in February 1943, she crossed the Atlantic a month later as part of the first convoy of U.S. Navy LSTs to reach the European war zone.

LST — short for Landing Ship, Tanks — were used to carry troops, tanks and supplies to shores, helping break the German hold on Europe. Their strength was in their shallowness and ability to beach themselves high and dry on the shores. This LST-325, is a floating memorial to those who served, and was docked on the Ohio River in Jeffersonville, near the corner of Spring Street and Riverside Drive. This ship is no longer docked here, but for a few weeks, residents, tourists and history buffs could get an up close and personal look at the ship. The ship was one of only six made in Philadelphia. However, there were about 1,050 such vessels used in the war. The ships are of particular significance locally, as 123 of them were built at Jeffboat in Jeffersonville. In 1944, it made more than 40 trips from England to Normandy, France, in support of troops there. In 1945, it returned to the United States to be fitted with new equipment used to launch and retrieve light observational aircraft. However, it’s one of only two World War II LSTs to be preserved in the United States. It normally docks in Evansville, but for five weeks of the year visits other cities. A 58-person crew slept on board the ship while it was docked in Jeffersonville. "Big boys and their toys." Jo