Chattanooga will welcome a rare piece of history to the downtown waterfront Aug. 21-27. The World War II USS LST 325 will dock at Ross’s Landing to offer tours of the landing ship tank.
The 325 will arrive the morning of Wednesday, Aug. 21. An opening ceremony featuring the crew and Captain Bob Kubota is scheduled for 3 p.m. that day.
The ship was launched Oct. 27, 1942 and commissioned Feb. 1, 1943. It participated in the D-Day Invasion on June 6, 1944.
During WWII, the 325 participated in the invasion and occupation of Sicily and Salerno, both in 1943.
On Sept. 1, 1961, the ship was struck from the Naval Register of Ships and transferred to the National Defense Reserve Fleet.
In Nov. 1999, by an act of the U.S. Congress, she was given to the LST Ship Memorial.
Tours will be available from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily starting Thursday, Aug. 22. Tours will last about one hour.
World War II and Korean War veterans will be granted “head of the line” privileges and free admission. Active duty military, in uniform with a valid DOD ID card, will also be granted free admission.
Source: Friends of the Festival