Backyard Adventures

2D PIKE PUBLISHING BACKYARD ADVENTURES 2019 trucks, more than 200 men and a crew of 98. The ships were quickly put together, so instead of design- ing its own engines, they designed them to use train locomotive engines. LST stands for Landing Ship Tank. However, they were often nicknamed Last Ship There and Long Slow Target because it cruised at about 7 mph. An LST tour lasts about an hour, depending on how many questions those taking the tour ask. It starts crossing a walkway from the souvenir shop out to the LST. You get a feel for the massiveness of the LST, which is longer than a football field. A tour guide walks the top deck, explaining vehicles that were kept on the deck and some of the general history of an LST. After a few minutes, participants go down a steep set of stairs into and through small berths, where a narrow walkway leads through the small rooms lined with racks of cots, three deep on each side hang from the wall. They packed as many as 18 people in a room barely 20-feet long and 8 or so feet wide. After walking through these rooms, the tour goes out into the main cargo bay that is the heart of the ship. It is where they held up to 18 Sher- man tanks and other vehicles. The massive cargo bay has numerous items from other parts of the ship where the tour does not go. While there isn't a Sherman tank in the bay, there is a mock-up of a tank to give viewers an idea of their size. You are also able to see the giant doors at the front of the ship, allowing quick egress to the beach for tanks and men. They have a display of 20 mm guns that are on the exterior of the LST, a radio and radar room set up. It also houses the ship's celebrity, a Jeep that was used in the filming of the movie M*A*S*H. For kids, this area has their highlight of the tour. A to-scale LEGO model that stretches nearly 12 feet long. After going through the cargo bay, the tour climbs a steep ladder to a high level and tours the galley and mess hall before going back outside to the fan- tail of the ship. A 40 mm gun and explanation of the giant wench on the ship are parts of the tour. It also includes a great view of downtown Evansville and Dress Regional Plaza. The wench looks like a typical wench on your buddy's 4x4 truck. Except, it is roughly the size of his truck. This wench and a giant anchor were how the ship got itself off the beach after a landing. The tour goes back inside and shows the captain's quarters, which is the only one with a private bathroom. Along the way, the tour guide will give stories of the roles the LST played in W WII and details about LST 325's career in both the U.S. and Greek military. LSTs were used by the United States up to the Vietnam War. LST 325 was sold to the Greek military and a group from Evansville retrieved it and sailed it back to Evansville. The hour-long tours are $10 for non-military adults and $5 for children ages 6 to 17. It is free for anyone age five and under, and to W WII and Korean War Veterans, as well as all active military. FROM TOP TO BOTTOM: The deck of an LST with tied down vehicles. Often the deck on a transport mission was so full of vehicles there were only narrow paths between them. This Jeep, used during the filming of M*A*S*H, is located in the main cargo bay. The giant winch on the tail of the ship was used with a giant anchor to pull the ship back out into the water. A 20 mm gun that lines the exterior of an LST is displayed in the cargo bay. The Captain's Quarters was the roomiest quarters on ship and the only quarters to have its own private head. A giant to scale LST made of LEGOs is on display in the cargo bay of LST 325.

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