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Historic World War II warship to visit Cincinnati

A Landing Ship, Tank used to haul cargo and personnel during World War II.
Bill Rinehart
/
WVXU
LST 325 served in the Mediterranean and Atlantic oceans during the Second World War. This photo is from a 2015 visit to the Queen City.

A landing ship craft from the Second World War is returning to Cincinnati. LST 325 is a 328-foot long vessel that was used to carry troops and equipment to shore.

LST 325 is typically on display in Evansville, Ind., but occasionally travels up and down the Ohio River. LSTs were built in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Seneca, Ill., as well as Jeffersonville and Evansville, Ind.

According to the organization that maintains it, LST 325 was built in Philadelphia and commissioned in 1943. The craft participated in the invasion landings at Salerno, Italy, and Normandy, France.

LST stands for Landing Ship, Tank, meaning it could carry tanks: 20 Sherman tanks inside, and trucks on the top deck. LST 325 also carried wounded soldiers and prisoners of war.

After World War II, LST 325 was decommissioned and sold to the Greek Navy, where it served until 1999. The next year, it was acquired by the USS Ship Memorial, and returned to the United States. Another LST, 393, is on display in Muskegon, Michigan, but that one does not sail.

LST 325 will be at the public landing Sept. 28 through Oct. 3.

Bill Rinehart started his radio career as a disc jockey in 1990. In 1994, he made the jump into journalism and has been reporting and delivering news on the radio ever since.