Howard Steamboat Museum showcases WW II landing ship
Jeffersonville, Ind., played an important role in World War II with its steady production of naval craft such as the Landing Ship, Tank — a vessel tough enough to take the demands of wartime duty and big enough to carry troops, cargo, and even Sherman tanks.
Now anyone with memories of or an interest in the ships can view a special exhibit on the LSTs through Sept. 6 at the Howard Steamboat Museum across the river from Louisville in Jeffersonville.
The exhibit will feature a model of an LST, photos of the vessels in action and a complete collection of safety bulletins released by LST builder Jeffboat between 1942 and 1945.
The LST exhibit will be free, but there will be a charge for a full tour of the museum, which celebrates river history and the age of steamboats. The museum gives special attention to the former Howard Ship Yards (which now builds ships under the name Jeffboat.)
The exhibit coincides with the Aug. 21-30 visit to Jeffersonville of LST 325, which saw service in the war and was later recovered and rebuilt by a group of veterans dedicated to preserving the memory of LSTs.
The rescuers, who averaged 76 years old, recovered the rusty, nonfunctioning LST from the Greek island of Crete, made repairs and sailed it across the Atlantic Ocean in late 2000. The ship, now permanently located in is now a floating museum/memorial dedicated to those who served on any LST during World War II.
The LST-325 will moor near RiverStage at the foot of the Terraced Lawn on Jeffersonville’s bank of the Ohio River.
The steamboat museum at 1101 E. Market St., Jeffersonville, is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday. For additional information, visit www.steamboatmuseum.org.
Posted by Ivonne Rovira
