This has been a great month.  The best news is that the galley is complete and the first meal fixed.  A great deal of credit goes to Collins Lawson, our resident electrician.  In the picture there are two pipes to the stoves from the overhead control panels.  There are 19 #12 wires in each pipe to control the three section griddles and two oven controls.  Everything was connected without a diagram.  The power was turned on and everything worked perfect.  This is a long way from the equipment poor ole Joe Sadlier had to work with.  He did the best he could with worn out equipment. These stoves have adjustable fences for protection against ship rolling.  Can you believe an LST rolling?  Joe was building a huge pot of bean soup when a rare storm on the trip home threw the pot across the galley.  Back to peanut butter and jelly.

Our last major project is still the starboard head remodeling.  George Pickett, and Ken and Anna Adams were joined this week by Ellis DeLay from Surprise, AZ, John Lemaster from Miami, OK, and Morris Sutherlund from Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.  That's a lot of driving for all to work on this ship.  All three are terrific welders and just plain hard workers.  All the partitions in the head had to be replaced, along with the posts and bases.  To the six of them, it seems endless.  We purchased a new wire-feed welder last week and I found out that Ellis DeLay helped with the purchase, so I asked him if he wanted to try out the machine.  You would think he was a pro.

Another new man reporting aboard was Lee Hunter from Indiana.  Lee went to Crete to help bring the ship home, but health problems developed so he had to go home.  He is aboard now working on various projects that needed help.  Another new worker is Thomas Roy from Minnesota, and he has helped Dan Toole build the 6th ladder on the forward port crew entrance on deck.  This is a very heavy job.  Tom finished his first week with the hardest job plus needle-gunning in the head.  Everybody gets the privilege to use the needle guns plus scrapers.

Garth and Jon Adams returned, plus he finally brought his wife Shannon.  She is a seasoned worker like all the rest of the Adams family.  Shannon is an EMT in Covington, plus she teaches environmental education to school children.  Terrific young lady, and she certainly fits right in with everyone.

Don Chapman, a Gold Crew member and a friend, arrived yesterday with a trailer load of equipment.  The best item is a heavy duty fork truck to work the tank deck, along with electrical equipment.

Friday, the 7th.  Nancy Ash brought 10 of her school kids and a lady from Colorado with 3 children, and we gave them all paint scrapers and we went down to the port side troop section and they went to work.  We got 3 terrific hours from those kids and they ask if they can come back.  They always thank us for letting them work.  Everyone thanks them.

Jon and Garth Adams finally had a chance to work on the emergency fire pump under the bow ramp after working on the no. 3 generator.  The fire pump probably has not been started or worked on in years, noting the condition of the pumps and related equipment.  They worked hard just to disconnect the rusted solid pump.  They put in new special oil and
 filter along with fuel and water, then they turned the engine over by hand.  This pump is a 225 hp. Gray Marine diesel built in 1942.  They hauled new batteries down and, with a few little special words of wisdom, tried the start button.  We were working on the tank deck forward when the engine started.  The look of surprise on everyone was funny.  No one gave that engine a chance.  It sounds better than the generators.  Now we need a new pump, and we are in business.

The plumbers came again on Thursday and connected up the equipment in the head.  Boy, was it nice to see clear water through all the faucets.
I will take pictures next report.  Gay Rudrud, Jim Emarine and Jim
Threlkeld came again this Wed. to finish the sinks and showers, and add the sea water line to gray water flushes.   It's a 140-mile round trip to help us.

Four Michigan snowbirds from Gulf Shores returned today.  The only problem with putting snowbirds to work is their clothes are always so nice.  Snowbirds don't have old clothes like us.  No matter what I ask them to do its always full speed ahead.  James Crandell, Robert Johnson, Paul Holler and William Voigt worked their third day without 
stopping for lunch.  They do electrical work, plumbing, painting and cleaning paint.  When they come aboard, I know they will work on anything.  We are very careful to keep the workers in safe working conditions.  My wife will come around constantly to make sure everyone is wearing safety glasses and dust masks and gloves.  They call her the constable and watch out.

Great news !!!!!!  Tuesday Bill Arras baked delicious biscuits in the new ovens.  The temperature held perfect and the biscuits were golden brown.

Of course, Bill was and is a terrific cook anyhow.  On Wednesday, Frank and Pat Perrella from Albany NY. returned for the second time in three weeks.  Frank is an expert chef in his own rights, and built the most delicious pot of Italian vegetable stew (soup) you can imagine.  Do all of you folks realize what you're missing sitting at home bored to death?  Frank and Bill both have more plans for us.  The great thing is that the ranges work so well.  Only the crew that brought the ship home know what I'm talking about.  Pat is a great photographer and computer expert.  She is such a great help in the office and computer room.  They had to go home yesterday to a meeting in Albany, and said they will be right back.  They both work on the USS Slater, a DD at an Albany, NY, pier for the public, just like us.  We are very lucky to have people of that caliber.  We learn something from everybody.

The Board of Directors are coming next week, so we are busy cleaning.  Don't want the boss to see a messy ship.

Check out the pictures and there will be more next month, for great progress reports.  If you come down here to work, we will take a picture of you and publish it to prove to your couch potato friends that you were working.  We can even let you use our world famous needle guns.

     ~ Gary Lyon

I am happy to report that plans for the 2003 Mississippi River trip are taking shape.  In the last month, I have been to Jeffersonville, IN; Louisville, KY; and Evansville, IN.  We have some great individuals working hard to get us the best docking area for the 325 in these towns.  We have contacts in all the cities now and are finalizing plans with them.  I am working on the crew for this trip and will be mailing applications to those that have requested to be on the crew and to all the "Blue Crew" members.  The "Gold Crew" has been contacted and I have those who want to go again.

I want to thank GENERAL MOTORS, particularly their "Electro-Motive Division" of LaGrange, Illinois, and STEWART AND STEVENSON, who furnished the labor to repair the engines.  We still have to put in the receivers or air tanks for the air starters, and the size of these is being calculated.

The fresh water valves going into the fresh water tanks have always leaked some.  These have been pulled and are being repaired.  All of the spring bearings on the propeller shafts have been taken apart, cleaned and greased, and all the oil changed.  The galley stoves have been installed with a refurbished stainless steel reefer added.  In many places the electricity has been restored, such as the bow door machinery spaces, engine rooms, shaft alleys, after steering, and reefer area.

Mr. Bill Arras and Mr. Gary Lyon have been keeping all of the volunteers busy.  They have reported as many as thirty volunteers on board for most of December and January.  We need each and every volunteer, so I hope you LST sailors and veterans in general keep coming.  We do need to work on the hull of the ship, spot chipping, priming and painting, as we have some rust breaking through after one and half years out of dry-dock.  I know this is not a job anyone particularly wants or enjoys, but it is what must be done to keep our LST looking good

I am adding our proposed itinerary for our summer river trip.  I hope that all of you can arrange to be in one of these cities to welcome this great ship into the port, and come aboard and take a first or even a second look at her.  You will not be disappointed.

     ~ Bob Jornlin

[Ed. note:  The new itinerary has only one minor change from the one posted on December 31.  It may be viewed on the "2003 Voyage" page.]

Working on LST 325 last month was like a return to the 1950's, only better!  I had unlimited opportunities to visit areas of LST 325 that I had never seen on my own ship, LST 528.  It was a real pleasure visiting, exploring, and working on another LST that served during WW2 and the Korean War, and I also enjoyed the work.

Some volunteers have special skills; others select a favorite type of work, or part of the ship and stay with it.  I chose to try everything I could.  After a few days of pulling cables, cutting away rusted pipes, and removing bolts from flanges in the shaft alley, I tried my hand at removing paint and rust with a pneumatic needle gun.  It sure beats the old method, using a chipping hammer.

For part of my time aboard, George Pickett was my mentor.  George is a constant worker with many skills to share.  And his casual sense of humor kept me amused as we worked to rehabilitate the starboard head.  Some days I went home tired, but I always went home happy.

Another person remarked that there are no grumps aboard.  And she is right.  Working on this ship, under good leadership, brings out the best in all of us.  It is even somewhat therapeutic.  Our aches and pains seem to go away as we climb up and down ladders into spaces that were once intimidating.  As a nineteen year old, I considered a climb down to the engine rooms to be scarier than working on a yardarm removing old antennas.  Now, on a cold ship, the climb down to a shaft alley is just good exercise; and I have no urge to revisit the yardarm.

Leading visitors on tours of the ship is another rewarding job.  Some visitors have never been on a ship before, but had a relative who served in the Navy.  They want to see the area of LST 325 that relates to their relative.  Some are former Marines or other vets who spent time aboard ships.  And others are just eager to learn more about this ship and the attraction it holds for us.

Now that I am back in Virginia (and cold weather), I am asking myself why I didn't plan to stay longer.  I'm looking forward to my next visit; and next time I will work for at least three weeks.

With the aid of generous contributors and the dedication of caring volunteers, I believe we can preserve this grand old lady as an important link to the past.

     ~ Bob Willard

A personal note from the WebSkipper:  I'd like to encourage absolutely anybody and everybody to provide material for this page.  By no means are submissions here restricted to just certain individuals.  The whole purpose of this website (and especially this particular page) is to share information about our LST Memorial with the entire community.  Sitting here 2,000 miles away, I personally don't have a clue what's happening aboard the ship unless somebody tells me.  To date, I've posted absolutely every single tidbit of information that's come my way.  If you have any news to share at all, please just send me an email:  WebSkipper@LSTMemorial.Org -- all of us would be very appreciative, and we all want to know what's going on!

Legend: 

Archives:

Archive for January 2003:

• 31 JAN 03 - Progress Report for January 2003 from Gary Lyon
• 28 JAN 03 - Answering the Bos'n's Call
• 28 JAN 03 - Newly-Revised LST 325 Slide Show Now Available
• 18 JAN 03 - A Million-Dollar Donation!
• 12 JAN 03 - In Memoriam, Harvey Blakeney
• 10 JAN 03 - Special Request from the Bos'n
• 10 JAN 03 - CQ, CQ, CQ from Bob Wilder
• 06 JAN 03 - Update from Michael Smith

• 29 DEC 02 - Progress Report for December 2002 from Gary Lyon
• 20 DEC 02 - A Note of Thanks
• 20 DEC 02 - The Time for Giving
• 20 DEC 02 - Have You Considered Your Legacy?
• 16 DEC 02 - Progress Report from Michael Smith
• 15 DEC 02 - Note of Appreciation from Doris Edwards
• 14 DEC 02 - Progress Report from Ron Maranto
• 09 DEC 02 - Great News for LST 325 from Capt. Bob Jornlin
• 09 DEC 02 - Donating Appreciated Securities
• 09 DEC 02 - Update on Michael Smith's Video Clips
• 05 DEC 02 - Progress Report from Michael Smith

• 28 NOV 02 - Progress Report from Dominick Perruso, Jim McCandrew & Corbin Fowkes
• 20 NOV 02 - Captain's Update from Bob Jornlin
• 18 NOV 02 - In Memoriam, Dewey Hardy
• 14 NOV 02 - Progress Report from Ron Maranto
• 07 NOV 02 - Note from Danny Sulkin
• 03 NOV 02 - Note re Hichael Nedeff's 24 OCT report

CDR Jackson Carter was LST 325's Executive Officer before and during the voyage back from Greece.  In addition to his normal duties, he was an avid ham radio operator and enjoyed communicating during his down-time with other hams all over the world.  He also maintained a website for LST 325 which included all of his situation reports, as well as  many photographs showing the hard work done in Greece getting the ship seaworthy – that site is a must-see for anyone who hopes to understand what it took to bring this ship home.  Most importantly, Mr. Carter was one of the finest human beings one could ever hope to meet.  He passed away just five weeks after finally realizing his dream.  This website now carries on the work – and the dream – where he left off, and in his memory.  Thanks, Jack ... for being you.    Fair winds!

In Memoriam Jackson Carter