WWII Ship USS LST-325, Decorated D-Day Veteran, Salutes Alexandria, Va
The 63-year-old amphibious landing ship beats its schedule by a full day and anchors overnight at the Little Creek Amphibious Base, where thousands of LST sailors trained, before docking today in Old Town Alexandria, Va. (dateline corrected)
Alexandria, VA (PRWEB) May 26, 2005 -- USS LST-325, a World War Two
amphibious vessel known as a “Landing Ship, Tank” pulls into Old Town
Alexandria, Va. today following a 1,700-mile voyage from Mobile, Ala. With the
help of fair winds, following seas and a flawlessly performing ship, the crew
arrived in Chesapeake Bay a full day ahead of schedule. It anchored overnight
near the Little Creek Amphibious base, where thousands of these ships’ sailors
have been trained.
The ship will be open to the public for four days.
Tours will be conducted each day, from Friday, May 27 through Monday, Memorial
Day. Hours are from 9:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., and the admission is $10.00 for
visitors over 18, $5.00 for children over five and a special family rate of
$20.00.
The ship will be docked at Robinson Terminal North. The gate
entrance to the dock is located at the cross streets of Oronoco Street and Union
Street, Old Town Alexandria, Va.
On Friday, Mayor William Euille will
present the ship with a special proclamation and Captain Robert Jornlin will
give the Mayor the keys to the bow doors. (This inside joke refers to a prank
played upon unknowing new sailors who were told to fetch them. There are no keys
to the bow doors.) They will then participate in a Memorial Service, followed by
a tour of the ship.
The crewmembers hail from 23 states, with most of
them being U.S. Navy veterans who served on our country’s LST’s at various times
since 1942. They are bringing this ship to Alexandria, Va. and then to several
ports in Massachusetts, so that those of us who appreciate the service of our
veterans can board and explore the only operational LST museum ship in
existence. Churchill referred to them as the ships that won the war.
Not
all of the crewmembers are veterans. A few of them are serving in memory of
their fathers who sailed on LST’s. They have learned the skills of their fathers
from willing tutors who enjoy sharing with the younger generation, in the hope
that they will keep alive the memory of these ships and the crews who sailed
them.
After the ship leaves Alexandria she will proceed down Chesapeake
Bay and around Cape Charles, and then head north to the Cape Cod Canal and
Massachusetts Maritime Academy, where tours will be conducted from June 4 to
June 7. Following that visit the ship moves onward to the Boston area and then
on to Gloucester, before returning to Mobile, Ala. in time for Independence Day
celebrations.
Further information is available on the ship’s website at
www.LSTMemorial.org. USS LST-325 is owned and operated by The
USS LST Ship Memorial, Inc., a non-profit corporation.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/5/prweb244523.htm