MUSCATINE, Iowa – An important piece of military history is coming to the riverfront in this community.
The LST-325 – the only operational World War II landing ship tank still afloat in U.S. waters – will dock in Muscatine in September as part of a special military celebration.
That celebration, United We Remember: 250 Years of Service and 9/11 Tribute, is set for 5-8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 11, on the Muscatine riverfront. It will be hosted by the Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GMCCI).
The event will include a public celebration of the Army, Navy and Marine Corps’ 250th birthdays. Festivities will include an enlistment ceremony for new Navy recruits as well as live music, food trucks and much more.
Members from the Rock Island Arsenal and local EMS professionals also will be recognized as a special moment dedicated to the men and women who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001.
But the signature event of the celebration will be the visit from the LST-325. The 328-foot-long ship will be on display near Pearl City Station on the Mississippi River. The ship is scheduled to dock on Tuesday, Sept. 9, with daily tours of the ship’s interior from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. starting Sept. 11. Tickets for the tours can be purchased at the ship. Ticket fees are $20 for adults, $10 for youths age 6 to 17 and free admission for children 5 and under.
According to a release from the GMCCI, these ships could carry 20 Sherman tanks in the giant hold within the ship. They were the only ships ever made that could go anywhere in the world and deposit their cargo onto a hostile beach and then go get another load. On the main deck, they could also carry 30-40 trucks, tons of fuel, ammunition or supplies and soldiers.
The LSTs were used during World War II, Korea, and the Vietnam conflicts. This ship, LST 325, was in the invasion at Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944. It was also in Sicily on July 10, 1943. The United States never lost an invasion once the LSTs were designed, produced, and could land the big tanks right on the beach.
The LST-325 is scheduled to be docked in Muscatine from Sept. 9-15. However, tours will be available starting on Sept. 11. (Go here to see the LST-325’s schedule of events.)
