The USS LST-325 is a legendary Landing Ship Tank that played a monumental role in the amphibious invasions of World War II. Commissioned in February 1943, this 328-foot flat-bottomed vessel was specifically engineered to carry heavy battle tanks, vehicles, and soldiers across open oceans and deliver them directly onto enemy beaches. Crew members often joked that the acronym stood for "Large Slow Target" due to its modest 11-knot top speed, but the design proved remarkably durable. LST-325 served prominently in the European Theater, braving heavy enemy fire during the invasions of Sicily and Salerno, Italy. Her defining moment came on June 6, 1944, when she participated in the D-Day landings at Omaha Beach, subsequently making more than 40 grueling trips back and forth across the English Channel to transport thousands of troops and crucial armor to sustain the liberation of Europe.
Following the war, the ship served in the U.S. Military Sea Transportation Service and was later transferred to the Greek Navy in 1964, where she served for another 35 years as the Syros. In 2000, a dedicated group of retired American military veterans acquired the aging vessel, repaired her, and incredibly sailed her 6,500 miles back across the Atlantic Ocean. Today, LST-325 is permanently homeported on the Ohio River in Evansville, Indiana, where she operates as the USS LST Ship Memorial Museum. She stands as a National Historic Landmark and holds the profound distinction of being the last fully operational, navigable World War II-configured Landing Ship, Tank in existence, even embarking on annual promotional voyages with a volunteer crew to keep her wartime history alive.
