On Friday, 24 October, I made my way over to Mobile to visit the 325.  Doris and Wayne Pollock have been caring for the ship during the month of October.  Robert and Rosemary Ostrander have also been there almost every day.  People continue to come and visit the ship; just a couple of Saturdays ago they hosted a group of over one hundred!  There have also been several smaller groups throughout the month. 

Gerald Miller, a former DCA and First Lieutenant from 1968 to 1971 on the LST 1161, spent a week helping out aboard the ship.  Mr. Matt Matoon, a long time member of the Blue Crew, has also been aboard regularly.  Save for these folks and a few others not too much volunteer activity has been going on aboard the ship.  The LST 325 is spick and span.  The engine rooms are clean and the tank deck organized.  The problem is though; the ship should be a mess with volunteers!  It seems everyone is still really tired from the long summer. 

So, for all our new friends we met on the River, please come down and see the ship for a few weeks and bring your friends.  Remember no experience required and the best way to really see and know the ship is to help keep her alive.  The ship needs you!  The accommodations at Brookley Center are really great and the price cannot be beat.  For all of you still recuperating or those still cooling off take a trip down and see your old friend.  I was happy to see Collins Lawson back aboard.  Collins said he is finishing up all the projects he left over the summer during the river trip and is about ready to get back to work!  Hopefully we will soon see more of our regulars back. 

Hope to see you at the ship,

     ~ Michael Smith

Long overdue is an update to the Blue Crew listing.  Naturally, the delay was the result of all the activity the past few months!  Our apologies to those who had to wait so long to be "officially recognized."

Shown at right is a stunning 16 year old Blue Crew addition from Sioux Falls, SD, Samantha Hansen.  She is the granddaughter of long-time loyal Blue Crew member Larry Johnson.

Many thanks to all our volunteers who keep LST 325 alive!

     ~ WebSkipper
 

Samantha Hansen, one of our
newest Blue Crew members

I just returned from a week at LST 325 (9/29 to 10/3).

On Monday, Wayne and Doris Pollock reported aboard to relieve Cal and Pearl Ellison as House (Ship) Parents for the month of October.  Wayne had spent ten days aboard on the River Cruise and agreed to spend October on the ship.  He retired from the Navy after serving for 22 years.  He and Doris are a welcome addition to the Blue Crew.  They have been married for four months.  I took a few pictures and I'm including them with this report.

The USS Pocono had a reunion, and 68 of the group came aboard for a tour.  Cal had called some of the faithful Blue Crew members who live in the area to come and help as guides.  There were visitors almost every day for the rest of the week.

Things have been a bit slow since the return to Chickasaw.  Probably everyone needs a good break.  This was my fifth trip to the ship for a week's stay.  I'll be back again as my schedule permits.  We need to get more people back and start getting ready for next year.  There's much work to be done.

     ~ Ralph Bryant

Upon our return to Mobile in mid-August, many of the 325's crew, shore duty volunteers and Board members took much-needed liberty calls and 30-day leaves with our spouses and families.  But much work has continued in planning for the 325's future.

The USS LST Ship Memorial's Board of Directors met for a two-day period on September 27th & 28th, and accomplished much.  The agenda was long and many topics discussed in detail, including general administrative services, membership and newsletters, financing, grant writing and other fundraising activities, ship's store and future items for sale, and a comprehensive review of the 2003 Heartland Cruise.  There was no doubt that the cruise was a huge success -- I wish I could name and thank you all individually .... but that would be impossible, you know who you are ... you deserve a BRAVO ZULU -- the crew, shore duty volunteers, corporate and "host" city sponsors, and "special thanks" to the visiting public. 

In addition, much of the board's time was spent exploring the feasibility and planning for a 2004 cruise.  We are committed to making a 2004 cruise happen.  But there is much more to understand, plan for and implement than the river cruise ever presented.  Getting the ship underway requires an extensive due diligence process by all hands; at the meeting, we identified critical project areas, including developing timelines and events, specific tasks were assigned to be researched, financing and budgeting, governmental and insurance requirements, determine ports of calls, needed corporate and "host" city sponsors, personnel requirements and required licenses, and critical ship restoration requirements.  The Board has scheduled a follow-up two-day meeting in early December 2003 to focus on the ongoing planning for a 2004 Cruise.  Later gators.

Best wishes, 

  ~ Bill Kaupas, Secretary

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 August 2003:

• 31 AUG 03 - Trip in Memory of Robert L. ("Stoney") Burke, from Margaret Burke
• 25 AUG 03 - LST 325 Discussion & Chat Forum Now Open, from The WebSkipper
• 22 AUG 03 - MISSION ACCOMPLISHED and Back at Home Port, from Pat Perrella
• 22 AUG 03 - Two Crewmembers Suffer Burn Injuries
• 19 AUG 03 - SITREP from Bill Kaupas 
• 19 AUG 03 - Report from New Orleans, by Michael Smith
• 18 AUG 03 - SITREP from Bill Kaupas(#2)
• 18 AUG 03 - SITREP from Bill Kaupas 
• 15 AUG 03 - SITREP from Bill Kaupas 
• 12 AUG 03 - SITREP from Bill Kaupas 
• 11 AUG 03 - Report from New Orleans, from Capt. Hal Pierce
• 11 AUG 03 - SITREP from Bill Kaupas 
• 07 AUG 03 - SITREP from Bill Kaupas(#2)
• 07 AUG 03 - SITREP from Bill Kaupas 
• 06 AUG 03 - SITREP from Bill Kaupas(#2)
• 06 AUG 03 - SITREP from Bill Kaupas 
• 05 AUG 03 - Don't Forget the U.S. LST Association's Reunion!
• 05 AUG 03 - SITREP from Bill Kaupas 
• 04 AUG 03 - SITREP from Bill Kaupas 
• 03 AUG 03 - SITREP from Bill Kaupas 
• 01 AUG 03 - SITREP from Bill Kaupas 

• 31 JUL 03 - SITREP from Bill Kaupas 
• 30 JUL 03 - SITREP from Bill Kaupas 
• 29 JUL 03 - Two SITREP's Today
• 28 JUL 03 - Discount rates in Paducah for LST Veterans
• 28 JUL 03 - SITREP from Bill Kaupas 
• 27 JUL 03 - A Fond Farewell to Evansville, from Jim Anderson 
• 27 JUL 03 -  A Hearty Hello to Jeffersonville, from Capt. Bob Jornlin 
• 27 JUL 03 - SITREP from Bill Kaupas 
• 26 JUL 03 - SITREP from Bill Kaupas 
• 26 JUL 03 -  Report from Our Radio Room Operators
• 25 JUL 03 - SITREP from Bill Kaupas 
• 24 JUL 03 - Note from the WebSkipper 
• 24 JUL 03 -  SITREP from Bill Kaupas 
• 16 JUL 03 -  A Fantastic Reception in Evansville, from Jim Anderson

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