CAPTAIN'S UPDATE Posted 29 March 2004     shown at right: Capt. Bob Jornlin

I also need to thank Rosemary and Bob Ostrander for their dedication and service. We just sent them an "Outstanding Service Award" for all of their time in taking care of our ship.  We all salute you.  Bob has sent to all of the State Chapters a letter from him and myself requesting help for the ship's museum and the ship in general. We hope that the State Chapters will send it on to their Members. This would not be necessary if our National Association would allow our requests to be put in the Scuttlebutt.  Mr. Gunjak did not allow my update or our newsletter to be put in the last Scuttlebutt either. The reason he gives for pulling it out is that I have not kept them informed. It is indeed sad when we all have our oars in the water pulling for LST 325 and our President and our Secretary of the National seem to be in a different boat. 

We are going into dry-dock, and can use all the money we can get. If we had the money to fix everything last time, this dry-docking would not be necessary. I can tell you the list of things we need done is long. We have put priorities on the most important and will go as far as money will allow. We will not overspend or get the ship in financial trouble.

Mr. Bob Harris of the IL. LST Chapter is setting up a living Trust for LST 325. You will be able to give to the trust tax exempt. The trust will only spend the interest, so LST 325 will benefit from a single gift for eternity. We hope that the trust can raise enough money so that the ship will be maintained forever by the earnings. I thank him, the ship thanks him, and so should all of you--with a check when he gets it set up. 

I just came back from Boston, MA, and three days of meetings with a lot of great people from all of the Boston area and from all of the proposed stops. The MA LST Chapter has done an outstanding job over more than two years lining up our stops. Mr. Frank Early, president of the MA Chapter has put in untold hours of work getting docks arranged in six places. Mr. Gene Creedon has also helped along with many other great LST veterans.

We have a new and very valuable addition to our 325 crew with Mr. Bill Doherty, a Coast Guard Licensed Master, unlimited tonnage, etc. Mr. Doherty went to work immediately looking at the docks, and piers, depth of water, tides, width of slips and channels. He is very familiar with Boston Harbor. I am sorry to say that after looking at his surveys there was no way that we could get the ship into Quincy or Hingham. We both looked for other piers, none of which were good enough with regards to people accessibility, parking or safety issues, though we had deep water to get the ship into them. Bill will be coming down to inspect the ship and help us while it is in dry-dock. He will make the shakedown cruise and the whole East Coast trip. Please make Bill welcome when he comes aboard.   Mr. Bill Kaupas, who has and continues to work many hours for the 325, and I are working on a new itinerary and alternate stops to replace Quincy and Hingham. We have contacted the MASS Maritime School, which is not far from Quincy and Hingham. We plan to have a Quincy, MA. and Hingham, MA, Day at the ship in hopes to make up some for their disappointment of the ship not stopping within their city limits. After all these two cities built a lot of LSTs in WW II and, like Evansville, IN and Jeffersonville, IN, they promised to be great stops for LST 325. Mr. Doherty and I looked at every possibility to get the ship into these cities but could not safely do so.

We have been asked by the Captain of the USS CONSTITUTION ("Old Ironsides") to accompany them on their annual harbor turn around on June 12, 2004. What an honor to sail along with this great historic Naval ship.  If you love history, if you love ships, if you love LSTs; do not miss this event. Details to follow at a later date.

Jim Bartlett, Bruce Voges, Anna and Kenny Adams are on the ship getting things done prior to the dry-docking, which we hope will remain on April 5, 2004. We again had the Capt. and XO and crew from the USS ORIOLE MHC 55 on board working and helping and they will be back tomorrow, Sat. Mar. 28, 2004. Thank you all for your help. I hope I am not missing anyone, as I am in Illinois and sometimes I do not know who is aboard working. 

Today I went down to Henry, IL. celebrating 150 years of cityhood. I rode the PEORIA BELLE, a stern wheeler built in 1968 up the Illinois River. I just can't stay away from "Old Man River." Henry had the first dam built on the IL. River. The dam is gone now, built farther down river towards Peoria, IL. The town of Henry still refers to themselves as the "Best Town by a Dam site" and they truly are! The LST 325 has many friends in Henry and I was glad that Mr. Lee Hofer invited me down to their celebration. Lee was part of the 2003 "Heartland Cruise" crew.

We have been looking for a more permanent site for the ship, having sent out 12 letters to mayors. To date I have heard back from 4 cities that have expressed great interest in having the LST call their city home. The Board voted not to make a decision until after the East Coast cruise giving each city time to respond to the request. The Board will visit each town before making a selection taking in what is best for LST 325. 

Don't you love it when a plan comes together? 

     ~ Bob Jornlin,
          Capt. LST 325

With bow doors open and the ramp partially lowered, LST 1148 was to make her final beaching on March 12.  This historic event took place on the coast of Rhode Island in the small town of Middletown just north of Newport.

As with some beachings, not all went as planned, but without a skipper to blame.  Let's just say that dry feet on the beach were scarce commodities.

The dismantling and distribution of vital usable parts from the 1148 was put into motion at sea, approximately 150 feet from the beach.

The bow ramp was lowered for the final time on March 13 in five feet of salt water by what was called the Ad Mumford Half Deck Crew.

Ad had spent the past six weeks prior to the beaching meeting with the ship's owner and the contractors negotiating for needed equipment for the 325.  Ad had also removed the stainless steel freezer doors from the 1148.

The dawn of Day One of dismantling, March 13, greeted us with temperatures right at about the freezing mark.  We found Ad and Dick Lucas carrying piggyback a 120-lb. oxygen tank down the seawall to a borrowed dinghy boat for transporting to the 1148.  Somehow before reaching the LST, Ad came swimming back to the beach without the O2 tank or a dinghy.  Soaked from head to toe, Ad was sent back to barracks for a hot shower and a dry down.

Without their fearless wet leader, the Half Deck Crew continued the task of shuttling torches, oxygen, chain falls and tools by dinghy to the 1148.

Several watertight doors and Panamal chocks were cut free.  A firepump from the aux engine room was salvaged and lifted to the tank deck.  All the cable drive bow ramp machinery was cut free in preparation for removal.  Several ship's lighting switches were saved.

The following week consisted of heavy snowfall, 30-degree daytime temperatures and heavy winds.  Removing all the materials by crane piece by piece as time was allotted by the contractor seemed a slow process, but by Friday everything was on the beach and loaded onto a trailer.

Very special thanks go to the contractor dismantling the 1148.  Without their patience and expert help, our salvaging operations would not have been possible.  We want to also thank Blue Crew members Bill Knick from Covington, OH, and Dick Lucas from Greenville, OH, for their help on this operation.

As the week came to an end, we headed for Battleship Cove in Massachusetts to retrieve a 300-lb. antenna for the 325's Radio-Gue-Rue-Crew.

We salute LST 1148's final senior officer, Ad Mumford, for a job well done.  He is now headed to New London, CT, to visit the LST 510 to inspect the twin Ingersol air starters on their EMD's.

As for us, we'll be making a quick stop back home, and then back again to Chickasaw.

     ~ Kenny & Anna Adams
 

Editor's Notes:

• We extend our best wishes to our shipmates from the LST 1148, several of whom went to take one last look at their ship.  We recognize that it's not what you would call a pretty sight.  We hope you will find consolation that your ship will live on for quite a long time in the form of your "organ donations" to the 325.  Thank you.
• Further orders for Ad Mumford.  When you finish with the 510, don't put your cold weather gear into storage just yet.  We'd like you to take a little side trip up to Point Barrow, AK, to see what we can get off LST 642, which was abandoned there in 1949.  Oh yeah, be sure to take a shovel .... 

LST 642 abandoned in 1949 at Point Barrow, AK

LST-325’s dry dock period is scheduled for the week of 5 April 04. Two main reasons for the delays have been poor weather and the ship in dry dock has required more extensive work than initially anticipated. Our revised plan is to complete dry dock and proceed to sea trial. The sea trial will be a one-day event. We should be able to complete this process by the end of April, and depart on schedule 24 MAY ... Will keep you advised.

     ~ Bill Kaupas

I was able to visit the 325 this past Thursday.  Much has happened aboard the ship since my last visit. 

Bob and Rosemary Ostrander were keeping everything flowing smoothly.  Rosemary saw to the phone and the wardroom sales, while Bob kept the crew on track and organized the tours I took through the ship.  These two are really keeping the ship operating smoothly and everyone put to best use.  Bob Ostrander was one of the first people to greet me when I first arrived at the ship in 2001, and he really made me feel welcome.  He and Rosemary have given an awful lot of time and care to our LST 325.

In a recent update, we all read about the project to remove the tile in the galley passage, repair the deck and paint it the proper deck gray.  I was particularly looking forward to seeing the passage.  It is a busy place aboard the ship and many visitors have passed through and asked about the tile.  It looks fantastic!  The deck is a nice gray and the no slip surface is about 60% complete.  The guys that did this really did outstanding work.  It really makes this busy area look brand new.

Bill Spencer and Charlie Clark were busy with the paint brushes.  They were both on the main deck painting the bulkhead under the gas cylinder storage racks.  Although few visitors will be able to get down and admire their handy work, it is an important to get good coverage everywhere to stop any further rusting.  Collins Lawson was also aboard changing some wiring on the tank deck.

There were a number of small groups that came aboard the ship.  I provided tours and made sure everyone had a good time.  As always, all were impressed with the ship.  One lady, from Boston, promised to get her entire family to see the ship during our summer tour.

The real high point of the day for me was when I found out about the main engines.  When I first arrived, the guys on deck told me, almost matter of fact, that the main engines were running.  I thought I had smelled diesel smoke!  Needless to say I booked it down to the engine room.  When I got there I found two 12-567’s purring away!  Two mechanics were working on the engines.  I believe they were from Marine Systems of Houma, LA.  As I watched they tried out the new throttle system on the port engine and ran it up and then back down to idle.  What a thrill.  I pulled myself away to take some visitors around and by the time I finished the mechanics had left for the day and I didn’t even get their names.  I am very sorry!!

I made some brief movies of the engines running; they can be seen at my web site at www.insidelst.com on the movie page www.insidelst.com/movies.htm  (movies #4 and #5).

     ~ Michael Smith

Now we are salvaging servicable parts from LST 1148, which is due to be scrapped by the Coast Guard.  Blue Crew Member Ad Mumford has been digging around the 1148 (in Newport, RI) for about a month now, finding things we can put to good use on the 325.  For example, he's gotten bow ramp machinery, tank deck cloverleaf covers, stainless steel doors, chocks, etc.  He's been working closely with the people involved in the scrapping operation.

The crew of LST 1148 has requested that these salvaged items be marked as "organ donations from LST 1148."

Many thanks to Ad Mumford and our mates from the 1148!

     ~ Terry Leahy

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 February 2004:

• 29 FEB 04 - Sporadic Email Problems, from the WebSkipper
• 29 FEB 04 - Progress Report from Pat Perrella
• 29 FEB 04 - Update from Kenny & Anna Adams
• 18 FEB 04 - Another Wonderful Contribution from James & Doris Edwards
• 18 FEB 04 - Opening Available for WebSkipper Striker
• 15 FEB 04 - Same Name, Same Call Sign, from Bob Wilder

• 28 JAN 04 - Report from Capt. Jornlin
• 25 JAN 04 - Update from Bill Kaupas
• 23 JAN 04 - Progress Report from Michael Smith
• 22 JAN 04 - Head for the Hills' (two articles)
• 08 JAN 04 - Crewmember Applications for 2004 Voyage Now Available
• 02 JAN 04 - A Terrific Donation from NCP Coatings, Inc.

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