World War II vessel draws record crowds to Chattanooga riverfront

photo A large number of visitors tour the USS LST 325 on Monday while docked on Chattanooga's riverfront. Visitors and crew members have been overwhelmed with the ship's popularity, experiencing long lines and extended wait times.

LST 325 VISITORS• Friday: 2,176• Saturday: 4,501• Sunday: 4,096• Monday: 3,468VISIT THE LSTThe ship will remain open for tours today and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tours are $10 for adults, $5 for children and $20 for a family. For more information, visit lstmemorial.org.

photo J.T. Griffin, right, takes a photos Monday as others pass by to tour the USS LST 325 while docked on Chattanooga's riverfront. Visitors and crew members have been overwhelmed with the ship's popularity, experiencing long lines and extended wait times.

Chattanooga likes its history.

Evidence of that can be found on Ross's Landing, where visitors have steadily streamed in and out of the USS LST 325 since its arrival last week.

So far, nearly 15,000 visitors have boarded the World War II-era ship while it has been docked downtown at Ross's Landing. With nearly 5,000 visitors, Saturday marked the ship's third-highest day in ticket sales ever. And Chattanooga's total count of 14,241 tours (as of closing time Monday) is approaching the LST's record of about 17,000 for any city, said Mickey McCamish, a retired Navy officer and chairman of the Southeast Tennessee Veterans Coalition, which helped bring the ship here.

"Chattanooga is a very patriotic town. We expected some long lines," McCamish said. "But what has surprised us is just how consistently long the lines have been. It has exceeded expectations, and it's great that Chattanooga is turning out for the ship."

And that's good news for the nonprofit organization that maintains the floating museum. The boat, the last operating vessel of its kind, is moored in Evansville, Ind., 11 months of the year and makes one annual cruise to two cities. Ticket sales from cities like Chattanooga help pay for maintenance and restoration of the vessel.

"We do more in a city here in four days than we do in 11 months in Evansville," said Kenneth Frank, president of the USS LST Ship Memorial, Inc.

Plenty of veterans come to see the ship -- including some who served on LSTs in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. But Frank said the crowds are always thick with young families, school groups and interested civilians.

Tanya Tate, of Jasper, toured the LST on Monday morning with her grandfather John Harrison, a Navy veteran of the Korean War. He saw LSTs during the war but never boarded one until Monday. Tate said they couldn't pass up the chance to see a living piece of history.

"The only ship I've been on is a cruise ship," she said. "It's definitely a rare opportunity."

Several local homeschool groups toured the ship Monday afternoon. Moms said this field trip was great for children of all ages.

"Everyone gets something out of seeing the ship," said Nicole Flory, a homeschool mom.

Flory's daughter, McCall, is in the 10th grade, and said, "Touring the ship was an eye-opener for me. It reminded me not to take my freedom for granted."

Seventh-grader Carie Patrick said she was shocked by how small the living quarters were, especially the bunkbeds.

Parker Johnson, also a seventh-grader, said, "It was really cool seeing all the guns. ... It is really cool that this ship is the last of its time."

Contact staff writer Kevin Hardy at khardy@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249.

Contact staff writer Kendi Anderson at kendi.anderson@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6592.

Upcoming Events