Chattanooga will welcome a piece of history to the downtown waterfront Sept. 11-17. The World War II USS LST 325 will dock at Ross's Landing for an extended visit to offer tours of the of the World War II Landing Ship Tank.
LST 325 will arrive the morning of Thursday, Sept. 11, and an opening ceremony is scheduled for 2 p.m. with the crew and Bob Jornlin, commanding officer of the WWII LST.
The USS LST 325 participated in the D-Day Invasion on June 6, 1944 as well as other invasions and occupations. It was launched on Oct. 27, 1942 and commissioned on Feb. 1, 1943. On Sept. 1, 1961, the ship was struck from the Naval Register of Ships and transferred to the National Defense Reserve Fleet. In November 1999, by act of the Congress of the United States, she was given to the LST Ship Memorial, Inc.
Tours will be available from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Tours last 30-45 minutes. Tickets are adults $10, ages 6-17 $5, and children five and under are free. A family of two adults and two minor children is $20. Other armored military vehicles will be on display as well.
LST 325 now visits waterfront cities across the country to offer a rare glimpse of this piece of history.