You can visit a lot of ship museums across the country - battleships, submarines, destroyers. But Captain Bob Jornlin says there's nothing like stepping on board the USS LST 325, a still-operational remnant of World War II.
"You can see a lot of ships tied up. But this one's alive," he said. "It's got a different smell."'
The 330-foot vessel arrived at Ross's Landing on Thursday morning and will be open for public tours today through Wednesday. The amphibious LST - short for Landing Ship, Tank - transported tanks, vehicles, cargo and personnel during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
The LST 325 is the last surviving vessel of its kind. During World War II, it made 43 trips between England and France and landed on Omaha Beach in Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944.
Spectators gather as the USS LST 325 prepares to dock at Ross's Landing in this file photo."You sort of wish the ghosts of the LST 325 could talk, don't you?" said Mickey McCamish, one of the local veterans who helped recruit the floating museum for a visit to the Scenic City.
The LST's home port is in Evansville, Ind., and it cruises only about one month each year, making stops in two cities. On its trips, the ship is manned by a volunteer crew of about 50 men, many of them retired from military service. They eat, sleep and man various posts on board just as the crew would have during wartime.
"I don't think there's any family closer than we are, even your own family," said Irwin Kuhns, who runs the throttles in the ship's wheelhouse.
Kuhns, 89, served aboard LSTs during World War II. He worked on LCVPs - Landing Craft ,Vehicle, Personnel - smaller amphibious boats that lowered troops down the sides of the LSTs. A Navy man for 12 years, he mainly helped deliver Marines to battle, including during the Battle of Iwo Jima.
IF YOU GO• What: USS LST 325 tours• When: Tours will run today through Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.• Where: Ross's Landing• Admission: $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 6-17, free for children 5 and under. Admission is $20 for a family of two adults and two children.• More info: lstmemorial.orgSource: LST Memorial
With scenic views and mostly calm waters, he said, modern river cruises are nothing like the days when the ship was packed with dozens of servicemen, tanks and ammo.
"And there's no incoming," he said. "We don't even have to uncover the guns."
The LST 325 was decommissioned in 1946 - about four years after it launched. It was reactivated in 1951 to help construct radar outposts near Canada and Greenland, then transferred to the Greek Navy in 1963. Greece turned the ship over in 2000 to the USS Ship Memorial Inc., the organization that now operates the floating museum. Jornlin and a skeleton crew of 29 volunteers battled engine failure, health concerns and steering problems during their 6,500-mile journey to bring the LST home during the winter of 2001.
Some upgrades have been made to the ship, including the addition of sophisticated GPS navigation. But the engines and other mechanical components of the boat work largely the same way they did during World War II, said Dan Keyes, one of three who pilot the LST.
"It's much like it was. It's like stepping back in time," he said. "It's just amazing that everything works."
Keyes, a merchant marine, said it's an honor to volunteer aboard a piece of history.
"It's an honor to bring it to people and show them the sacrifices that were made during wartime," he said.
Like many who came to gawk at the ship on Thursday, Jim Culberson was amazed by the sheer size of the LST.
"It's something big," he said.
Culberson had his World War II Jeep on hand at Ross's Landing as part of a display from the Tri-State Military Vehicle Club. He served in the Air Force for 21 years as a radar technician and said the vehicle club was there with the same mission as the LST.
"We're just trying to keep a little piece of history alive," he said.
A total of 1,051 LSTs were built during World War II, but only the 325 remains.
"It's the last one," Culberson said. "Out of 1,000, it's the only one left."
Contact staff writer Kevin Hardy at khardy@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249.