A Tour of the USS LST 325

The USS LST 325 made a brief visit for a few days to Cincinnati, Ohio for public tours. I first observed the transport ship from afar on the Ohio River in Evansville, Indiana, a few years ago. The ship resides in Evansville most of the time. We were really excited to get the opportunity to tour the inside while it was in Cincy.

LST stands for Landing Ship, Tank and this ship was the largest one ever designed to drop off transport on a hostile beach. What’s even more amazing is that the LST is still operable today.

You start the tour on the lower level.

One of the first things we noticed was the Greek writing as we entered the ship.

The USS LST 325 was sold to the Greek Navy after it was no longer needed in the war. Years  later, a group of retired U.S. Veterans acquired the LST when they found out that is was going to be scrapped. One of the conditions was that the Greek writing and art had to stay. You will notice those signs and symbols along your tour throughout the ship.

The Upper Level was really interesting because we were able to observe the guns upclose and get an idea of how huge the ship really is.

The LST 325 had 54 volunteers helping in a variety of ways. Make sure that you talk to them and ask lots of questions because they know so much about the ship. It’s also great to know that money used for the tours helps keep the ship in operation. It was definitely worth the $20 for the two of us to walk on such a historical ship.

The Jeep on display was actually used in the show MASH.

My husband and I each have grandparents who fought in WW2. One of my husband’s grandfathers was even stationed on a ship just like this one in the war and his job was to work the gun on the upper deck. It was really interesting to get a sense of perspective for what his grandfather’s position would have been like. I can only imagine how scary it would be in battle.

The LST 325 Memorial resides in Evansville, Indiana most of the year so you’ll want to check the calendar for details so that you can see it for yourself.

You can find out more about the USS LST 325 from the website.