City of Chester recently issued the following announcement.
The USS LST 325 will be docked in Chester on September 7, 8 & 9, 2018.
Tickets are now available at Chester City Hall.
The LST is also having a calendar photo/art contest open to the Host Cities for 2018 for the 2019 calendar (See Flyer). We are soliciting photographs or original art. Does not have to be the whole ship. Could be part of the ship or parts of the ship.Submissions will need to be sent to lst325calendar@outlook.com– No outlines are beings supplied. That is all up to the artist.
– First prize is an autographed copy of Bringing Back a Hero by Captain Jornlin an LST ball cap and a calendar.
– Individual wining months will receive a ball cap and calendar.
– Final day for submissions is Sept 15, 2018. One winner per city.
Landing Ship, Tank (LST) was the designation given to a class of naval vessels created during World War II in order to support various amphibious landing operations by transporting significant quantities of battle ready vehicles, supplies, and troops directly onto any shore. The LST’s proved enormously useful during WWII, Korea, and the Vietnam War, belonging to and being utilized by all branches of the Services-Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard and Merchant Marines.
The LST 325 was one of 1,051 LST’s built during WWII, most being built at inland shipyards in the Midwest United States, and only one of two remaining LST’s to be preserved in the United States. She served her Nation for many years, finally being transferred to Greece to serve in the Greek Navy as L-144 (A/G Syros) from 1964 to 1999.
In 2000, she was acquired by The USS LST Ship Memorial, Inc. and prepared for her final voyage back across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States. A Veteran Crew of 50 (average age 72) traveled to Greece to begin preparing the Ship for the 6,500 mile trip to Mobile, Alabama. By the time she was ready to begin the journey home, only 29 of the crew remained. On January 10, 2001, the LST and her crew arrived safely at home.
The LST 325 now participates in annual River Tours to various locations and Ports of Call and has been the focal point of several conventions and events, including the 2009 Military Vehicle Preservation Association’s National Convention. At approximately 330’ long with a 50’ beam and a 3,942 ton loaded displacement, she is quite an impressive piece of living history.
This September 7th, 8th, & 9th, Chester IL will be honored to host the historic LST 325 along the Chester Riverfront. The Ship’s arrival and stay at Chester will coincide with a Historical Military Vehicle Display and WWII Living Camp along the banks of the Mississippi River at the Chester Riverfront. The Ship will be open for tours from 9AM-6PM each of those days.
Original source can be found here.
Source: City of Chester
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