Lois and I just returned from a "working" vacation of one full month.  We went directly down to Mobile to see the ship.  Mardi Gras was just finishing up.  We were invited by Mr. Slade Hooks and his wife Tricia to get an inside look at how parades and floats are set up.  All the work and planning and expense that goes into this is tremendous!  We and Gary and Gayle Lyon were also invited to the reception that is held after the parade which was very enjoyable.

Next we were at the ship to host the Evansville, IN TV station.  They did a program live from the ship.  They spent most of the day getting pictures and interviews with the volunteers and visitors that were aboard.  An LST Ship Memorial, Inc. Board meeting was held on Saturday, and many things were discussed.  I was unable to attend, as the Flu Bug caught up to me, and I was down and out for three days.  The wife caught it a couple of days later, and as she was recovering, we decided to take off for Florida to get to a warmer climate.  We spent two weeks on Sanibel Island by Ft. Myers.  The weather was not much better.  It rained several days, was windy and cool.  We made the best of it and had a good time in spite of the weather. 

We stopped back at the ship on the way home, and this time we did a lot of looking and inspecting of all the work that Mr. Gary Lyon (with the help of a lot of great volunteers from just about everywhere) are getting done.  Electrical, plumbing, work on the steering system, refrigeration system, painting and cleaning are some of the things being accomplished every working day.  Mr. Jim Bartlett and I toured the ship from one end to the other, making a list of things that still need to be done.  This list is quite long but is necessary.  As volunteers show up to work, whoever is in charge at the time can assign them a job -- hopefully one to their liking. The sewage system is basically in, and the Adams family was working on getting the fresh water system working.  Material has been purchased to widen and lengthen the ladders to the tank deck for better accessibility for visitors.  This will be done by the Navy reserve unit in Mobile.  The Reserve has offered to come aboard one weekend a month, and one member has asked to do his two weeks of active duty on the ship. 

Arrangements have been made to pick up some of the equipment given to us in California.  Stewart-Stevenson, the main engine repair company, came aboard and inspected both main engines.  From the early report it looks like the engines are not in need of complete overhaul as we had thought.  They believe most of our trouble was due to a loose flywheel on the starboard engine.  A few injectors need replacement, some seals on the blowers, and loose bolts or a bad seal between the air box and the crankcase must be fixed.  This was what caused the engines to use and leak so much oil.

We also have a bill before Congress to exempt LST 325 from some of the Coast Guard rules, the same as the Liberty Ships now have.  This Bill was introduced by Congressman Tom Davis of Virginia.  We need everyone to write their Congressperson and ask for support of this bill. [Ed. note:  The bill number is H.R. 3856 -- please refer to this bill number when contacting your Representative.]  I thank Congressman Davis for all of his work on this for us, and our attorney, Mr. Sean Connaughton, who helped draft the bill.  He has been a great help in all of our legal matters; he advised me from Souda, Crete, all the way across the Atlantic, got us into Nassau, and made all the arrangements for arriving in Mobile, including Hook's Terminal.  I try to give credit to everyone that works and helps with the 325.

Rocky Hill and his wife have been at the ship for the last month.  Dianne Hill did all of the Certificates we gave to Blue Crew volunteers and Honorary Crew members.  This involved some one hundred certificates and was a big job.  More certificates are being considered as we have many more people that have given time and talent to the LST that are truly worthy of recognition.  When we left, Richard Meyer and Hike Nedeff were there to help as well as many other Blue Crew members.  Calvin and Pearl Ellison, who are dedicated Blue Crew members since day one, will handle the daily visitor and guide responsibilities.  This will keep continuity after Gary and Gayle Lyon leave.  Speaking of that, we all owe Gary and Gayle a huge thank you for their guidance and devotion to the project these last four months.  They will leave early in April and Joe Milakovich will be coming for the month of April.  We also want to thank Bill Arras, who has done some minor miracles on the refrigeration unit and the hydraulic steering system.  He is now planning on cataloguing spare parts which will help immensely. 

Anna Koepp and her crew did a great job with our newsletter.  She reports that she has gotten a lot of new memberships and some good contacts made after the newsletter mailing.  We are still attempting to apply for grants and to major corporations for more funding.  The Memorial has also benefited by the airing of the LST 325 documentary.  Linda Alvers and her staff did a wonderful job on it.  Work on the ship is progressing well.  People that have returned back since the 325 first arrived in Mobile can't believe the difference.  Most of the Sailing Crew continue to give talks and raise money for the ship.  We are amazed by the number of volunteers who have worked on the ship and hope this continues.  Electricians and engineers are especially needed.

The people of Evansville, Indiana, headed by Mike Whicker, have formed a committee in hopes of raising money to help bring the LST back to Evansville in 2003.  As you may recall, Evansville is the champion shipbuilder of LST's -- building 167 in WW2.  I have a meeting scheduled with them on April 1st.  I will also be speaking to the Ohio State LST Association in May.  My wife and I are looking forward to meeting with this fine group.  The Ohio LST State Chapter has been very supportive of the LST Memorial and we do appreciate it. 

We now have an official address for the ship.  It is:

We will also soon have a new phone number for the ship.  It has not been activated as of this writing, but we have been promised a cell phone by SunCom, who is affiliated with AT&T.  They will also pay both local and long distance bills for us.  We are most grateful to them and will let you know the new number as soon as we know it.  The old number will still work for a time until we can let everyone know.  Up to now, Carl Black, who was the ship's agent when we arrived in Mobile and has done numerous jobs for us, has been paying our cell phone bills.  We thank him very much for his contributions to our Memorial and appreciate his friendship and help.  We also thank Pat Downing and staff of the Brookley Center who have made available very reasonable housing while crew and volunteers work on the ship.  We continue to be indebted to Captain Hal Pierce of Mobile who seems to work endlessly on our behalf.  Our prayers are with his wife, Dee, who is battling cancer, but thankfully seems to be doing well.

I will attempt to keep you updated whenever possible.

     ~ Bob Jornlin

With an appointment in Biloxi, Mississippi, which is half way over to Chickasaw, Alabama, Naomi and I had the opportunity to go a few extra miles to stop by and check out the progress aboard LST 325.  Our short visit stretched into a few hours as we made our way throughout the ship taking pictures and talking to the other volunteers. 

Matt Matoon was in the radio room where the donated radio equipment is awaiting installation.  Mr. Mattoon was busy continuing in the quest to rid the 325 of more bad wiring.  Fighting the dust and stiff strands of wire, the wiring situation on the LST is always improving. 

We also got the chance to meet Donald Cole and Tom Baumet who were working on the new plumbing installations.  The new sewage system and drainage lines are looking great, as shown in the pictures below.  Mr. Hill of the Gold Crew was also working on the plumbing.  Naomi got into the action, helping to assemble a section of PVC drain pipe. 

Mr. Barnes was busy scrubbing a bulkhead in preparation for painting.  He just recently finished painting the area where all the Greek equipment had been removed (see last progress report). 

Mr. And Mrs. Ellison were on board giving tours and tending to other daily duties as required aboard the ship.

As has been the usual for the past months, Gary Lyon was many places at once working hard and keeping things running smoothly.  Dianne Hill and Gayle Lyon were at the local library making use of the computers in order to keep the 325’s records up to date and to type the progress report which I emailed for them. 

As the weather warms up and everyone begins to think about heading out for that spring vacation, don’t forget the beautiful Gulf Coast and the LST 325.  Spend your days getting your hands dirty aboard ship and the evenings soaking in the gulf! 

     ~ Michael Smith and Naomi Friedman

Progress Report from Gary Lyon

Dated 04 MAR 02

We are now in the plumbing stage.  All the drain pipes from the galley, which include 5 floor and 3 sink drains were clogged up.  Using "saws-alls" all the old pipes were cut out.  Rocky Hill and his crew; Tom Baumet of Oakwood, IL, and Dan Cole, Covington, IN, replaced the old drainpipes with new PVC installations.  The old stainless counter and sink have also been removed from the galley.  This was the only operational sink.  A new one was ordered.  A 15-gallon water heater will be installed under the counter.  The two deep sinks around the corner in the galley will become operational with their own water heater as well. 

Rocky & Dianne Hill have been with us at Brookley for a month.  We have had a great time and accomplished much work.  Dianne is a pro on the computer and has upgraded most of our records.  That has been an invaluable service to us. 

An average of 10-15 volunteers report for work each day, however as many as 25 have been on board.  It is a real challenge having enough work and materials available for each group to remain busy all the time. 

Regular Blue Crew Roe Karstetter and Larry Johnson, along with new men Dale Rasch and Al Weyend from Minnesota, removed almost 1000 feet of junk wire that ran from one end of the tank deck to the other.  All junk wire has also been removed from the engine rooms.  That lighting will also be replaced.

Bill Arras from Mobile is working on the hydraulic steering system and the refrigeration system.

Progress is continuing on the sewer system.  By the end of the week, all valves and piping will be completed.  Only the final connections by the American Welding Co. will be left.

Jim Bartlett went to California to look at some possible replacement parts for the ship.  Jim must have felt like a kid in a candy store seeing all the pumps we need and motors we never dreamt we could find.   He also found Navy electric ranges and ovens, which we could use.  All equipment was installed on LSTs newer then the 325.  Lee Adams of Covington, OH, has offered to drive his semi to L.A. to haul the equipment to the ship.  It is wonderful to see such enthusiastic dedication for work on the ship as this family exhibits.

Jim Bartlett has been here working since the middle of February.  His skills are very valuable, as he is knowledgeable in all areas of the ship.  He arranged for an engine repair company to look at the engines, check their condition and make repair recommendations.  They are doing this now.  Jim parks his motor home at the ship and probably has the worst view possible -- a noisy junkyard.  We are very lucky to have Jim here to help us along.

The fire system will be filled next week and the heat pump air conditioners will be tested.  We need the water in the fire system to cool the heat pumps.  Charlie Marking, Lanesville, IN, installed over 150 ft. of ľ’ PVC pipe to connect the "in," "out" and condensate lines.  He also works on the electrical system when needed.  Charlie and Jean return to the ship to work about every 3 months and stay 2-3 weeks.

Last Saturday the new Commanding Officer (a very community-service minded person) from the Naval Reserve base in Mobile arrived with officers and chiefs to offer all types of help for the ship.  They are interested in "hands-on" work, rather then their usual classroom work.  They will build two new longer and wider ladders (stairs) to the tank deck.  Radiomen from the Reserve will coordinate the radio room installation.  These men have a great deal on knowledge and experience.  We are very fortunate to have their help.

Six men form Greenwood, MS, arrived for a weekend of work.  They were going to paint the port side of the ship, but it was too cold and windy.  They did other work for us and it is greatly appreciated.

Gayle and I were invited to breakfast with the Minnesota Group who are wintering at Gulf Shores.  I asked the men if they would like to come work at the ship when they got bored playing golf.   The new ones are Gary Rudland, Moorehead, MN; Paul Schmidt, Park Rapids, MN; John Hagaman, Fifty Lakes, MN; Robert Weachter, Manassass, VA; Jim Emarine, Moorhead, MN; and Al Weyand, Hastings, MN.  Report for work at least twice a week and will work at any task requested.

Art Cook, an Honorary Crew Member has been here twice and is a very good worker.  Art had been on the ship in Greece, but was unable to make the voyage to the US.  Joe Graves, Enterprise, AL, is a great worker and excited to work each time he can make it to the ship.

You do not have to have any special trade or skill to work with us.  We will improvise as we did many times on the trip home on the LST 325.  Scraping and painting are exciting options available to one and all.

     ~ Gary Lyon

 [Ed. note:  Many thanks go to Gary and Gayle Lyon, who have been overseeing a lot of work onboard for four months now, and have been providing us with terrific, detailed Progress Reports!]

Howard came of age as a journalist when he was assigned in London to cover Germany in the Second World War.  That was before the United States was drawn into the conflict.  What he witnessed, and subsequently reported on, shaped his thinking and impacted his decision-making.  One of those decisions was to get involved in promoting the role of the LST in World War II.  He bore witness to Hitler's troops trying in vain to find a way to cross the English Channel from France.  If Hitler had succeeded, the world would quite likely be different today. 

A need for amphibious resources brought American and British military brass together, as they realized the importance of invading the European Continent and putting a halt to the Nazi stronghold. 

The LST was born.

I was not.

Yet the LST would be the bond between two unlikely acquaintances.

I met Mr. Smith when I was looking for just the right spokesperson for a project I was passionately working on.  It was a story about one ship in World War II -- the one my Dad served on -- an LST.

Mr. Smith met me when he was approached about being the narrator for a documentary about a ship in World War II -- an LST. 

Howard K. Smith knew at that moment in time -- he was 84 -- that he had just been put in my path to tell a story he needed, indeed wanted, to tell.  He strongly believed that LST's were instrumental in winning the war.  And I believed him. 

I can't tell you why that relationship blossomed into a warm and caring friendship amongst these three people -- myself, Howard and his incredible wife Bennie.  But he hesitated not a moment when we asked him to be on the Advisory Board for the USS LST Ship Memorial.  I know he took pride in his role of informing a nation of the importance of the LST's in World War II.  His memory will live on for so very many people whose lives he touched, from world leaders to the disenfranchised.  His memory will also live on in very special ways in the hearts of all LST sailors. 

A white floral anchor stood proudly at his memorial service inscribed simply:

REST IN PEACE
USS LST 534

     ~ Linda Alvers
 

^* Linda Alvers was executive producer for Onto Rugged Shores: Voyage of LST 534 and The Return of LST 325, both of which aired on The History Channel, and are now available on videocassettes.  She organized and chaired The USS LST Ship Memorial’s Steering Committee until just recently.

You can learn more about the life of Howard K. Smith on the following pages:

Los Angeles Times:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-0121802smith.story

ABC News:
http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/smith_obit020218.html

CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/News/02/18/obit.howard.k.smith/index.html

To take it one step further, while I was there I stopped in the Ship's Office and noted what a fine job had been done last summer organizing all of the instruction manuals.  [Ed. note: That particular job was accomplished by Robert Alferi.]  Then it dawned on me that these companies could be the target of a fund-raising campaign.  Gary Lyon told me to go ahead with the idea.  I listed all of the companies who made equipment for the ship and what they made -- there were 160 companies.  I brought the list home and checked out all 160 looking for addresses.  The result was that I found 90 good addresses.  When Capt. Jornlin gets back home (we live about 50 miles from each other), we'll get together and do a mailing.  There are great names like GE, General Motors, Cutler Hammer, and Westinghouse.  Hopefully, it will help us tap into the serious corporate money.

I also wrote a story about the trip which is posted on the 1148's web site at www.lst1148.org.

Anyway, great job --- thanks for all of your efforts!

     ~ Terry Leahy
 

On Feb. 23, my wife and I had the opportunity to visit the LST 325.  I was an LCVP Coxswain aboard the LST 494 from commissioning until I left her in Sasebo, Japan.  I never thought that some 56 years later I would have the opportunity to once again to go on board an LST.  Thanks to a small group of very brave guys.

The volunteers are doing a great job, and it was very evident that much help is needed to get the old girl back in top shape, not only physical help but much money is needed also.  I hope I live long enough to see it happen. 

I would be there myself, but after having my aorta valve replaced and one bypass, my heart is operating at about 20%.  One thing for sure, they do not need the likes of me in the way.

We would like to thank Mr. Calvin Ellison for taking the time to give us a great tour, leaving no stones unturned.  He along with many others are valuable assets to this great cause.  I will keep on bugging people for donations!!!  As it turned out, Calvin was a Carpenters Mate on his LST.  My best friend Quinten Sheipe, who died this past year, was the Carpenters Mate on our ship.  Just a coincidence.

Once again, thanks for taking your valuable time to show us what a great job you men and women are doing.  Former LST 494 crew members are having a reunion in Mobile the first week of April, and I know they are scheduling a trip to see the 325.  Good luck to you all, and I hope all of you remain healthy, and can live to see the day when she will set sail once again.

     ~ Don & Ruth Beach
 

Two new books are now available, both written by avid LST 325 supporters.  Additionally, sales of both books support the efforts to get LST 325 underway once again.  More complete details on both are available through the links provided below.

Pat Johnston, a valued member of the Blue Crew, has published Boatswain's Mate, available through Publish America (http://www.publishamerica.com -- do a search for Pat Johnston).

Mike Whicker, organizer of a local Evansville, IN, group seeking a visit from LST 325, has published a WWII-era spy novel entitled Invitation to Valhalla, centered on the LST shipyard at Evansville.  It is available through iUniverse (http://www.iUniverse.com -- click on Bookstore, and then search for Mike Whicker).

Please support these fine gentlemen, as they are supporting us.  Not only will you enjoy some fine reading; you'll also be helping LST 325 get back afloat!

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 (click here for complete index to archives) :

Archive for February 2002:

• 22 FEB 02 - Progress Report from the LST 325 Steering Committee
• 16 FEB 02 - Progress Report from Michael Smith
• 15 FEB 02 - Update from Arnold Ness
• 02 FEB 02 - Reports from Ann and Will Adams
• 02 FEB 02 - Report from Frank Owsley
• 01 FEB 02 - Donation from Letterkraft Printers
• 01 FEB 02 - Updates from Ron Maranto and Gary Lyon

• 22 JAN 02 - Progress Report from Michael Smith
• 21 JAN 02 - Progress Report from Michael Smith & Naomi Friedman
• 18 JAN 02 - Progress Report from Capt. Jornlin

• 29 DEC 01 - Update from Pat Johnston
• 23 DEC 01 - Progress Report from Gary Lyon
• 23 DEC 01 - Update from Michael Smith
• 21 DEC 01 - Update on the Radio Room Project
• 15 DEC 01 - Recommissioning Covers and the Edwards Family
• 15 DEC 01 - "The Resurrected 325" by Leo E. Smith (LST 1046)
• 15 DEC 01 - Videos now available through the Ship's Store
• 01 DEC 01 - Progress Report from Michael Smith