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This page was last updated: 01 DEC 03, 0615Z |
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This page was last updated: 01 DEC 03, 0615Z |
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| GREETINGS FROM AN OVERSEAS MATE!
Posted 25 November 2003 With my wife Anne I visited LST 325 in January this year during our annual trip to Florida. I had been fascinated by the story of the courageous voyage from Greece, especially since in 1945 I had sailed in LST 3019 as part of the expeditionary force to liberate Dutch East Indies. We sailed from Madras, India, to Port Belwan Medan in Sumatra, landing our tanks with ramp down directly on the beach. I was a tank wireless operator, but had originally trained as a naval operator, so when the radio crew went down sick, I volunteered to act relief. There was a perk, in that I was moved into crew quarters, a big improvement on those allocated to tank personnel. |
Calvin Ellison |
| When we visited 325, we were met by Calvin Ellison, who was about to
show his daughter and a friend around so we had the grand tour. We
also met the Adams family who have made such an incredible contribution
to the project. The voyage in June is just reward for the hard work
and dedication by you all. We had hoped another crossing of the Atlantic
might be feasable to join in the D-day commemorations, but have heard no
news of this. However we hope to pay another visit to Chickasaw in
January. Our warm wishes to you all.
~ Harvey Evitts,
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| TWO ITEMS TODAY, 24 NOV 2003:
- Holiday Ship Closure
Holiday Ship Closure So that our crewmembers can spend their holidays with their loved ones,
the ship will be closed from December 13 to January 4, inclusive.
Please check your plans to avoid disappointment and frustration.
As always, the ship is closed on weekends, except by special appointment.
Commemorative LST 325 Tapes The Commemorative LST 325 Tape ... Just in time for Christmas
14 WFIE
Deadline: Thursday, December 4, 2003 Proceeds from the sale of the LST tapes will go to the continuing restoration of LST 325. |
PROGRESS REPORT FROM BILL KAUPAS
Posted 11 November 2003 "Mission" planning meetings were held Friday and Saturday, November 7th and 8th, aboard the ship with a volunteer maritime consultant, Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co., and the ship’s Engineering, Electrical and Deck Chief’s and Board committee members. Participants toured the vessel and discussed the essential engineering and other mechanical systems required to safely operate the vessel and make way under her own power. We identified the critical pathway needed to make application for and seek U.S. Coast Guard approval for the 2004 Mission, pursuant to meeting minimum Uniform Safety Standards of an Un-Inspected Vessel. Furthermore, the ship’s underway and Ports of Call plan was discussed in preparation for an upcoming Board of Director’s meeting scheduled for December 6th and 7th. The shipboard priority list (work orders) was expanded and will be revised several more times as information becomes available through additional inspections. The projects list will be given to the shipyard to be used in the bidding process and should help us determine what we can afford. In summary, these committee meetings were intended to investigate the critical engineering, deck and operational systems and hull work required to comply with minimum safety standards; to identify and develop a timeline for the complete Mission -- from entering the shipyards, getting underway, determining the cost of the ship's work and other purchases, needed underway stores, public liability and pollution insurance, fuel and oil, and more. Thank you for your continued support, time and efforts. If you have any questions, please contact me by email (bkaupas@msn.com). I will answer your questions with as much detail as I can. Please give me a few days to answer your inquiry. ~ Bill Kaupas |
Board members, maritime/USCG licensure consultant and shipyard representatives will be meeting the first week of November in Mobile. We continue our due diligence process [started in early September] and research needed to present options to the Board of Directors at the next meeting, scheduled for December 6th. Our goal-mission is to get the ship underway, using her own power in 2004 (see October 5, 2003 Progress Report) … to achieve this task — (i) we must know exactly what will be required of us by the USCG in the way of ship repairs (set priorities, hull, engineering machinery, pumps, etc), (ii) what repairs do we want to make, (iii) how long will it take, and (iv) how much will it cost. Which shipyard can give us the best deal for quality, on-time delivery and price? In addition, personnel requirements — where could the 325 secure volunteer licensed personnel? How many unlicensed crewmember will we need? We are investigating the operational equipment needed, such as radar, depth sounder, chart plotter/GPS, ERIPB, and more. We are in negotiations with [possible] corporate sponsors for this equipment, which could save up big bucks. Although our volunteers may not see much going on aboard the ship, there is much going on by way of telephone conferencing, proposals, meetings and regulation research. It is our plan to answer as many of these questions and concerns in December, and by January place the wheels into motion for an East Coast trip, departing in late May 2004. ~ Bill Kaupas |
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! |
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from Margaret Burke