We left Nashville around 7am, and headed up to Evansville, IN, to check out the LST museum there. My first ship in the Navy was the USS Sphinx, ARL-24. The Sphinx was originally designated to be LST 963, but was converted after the keel was laid, as World War II was wrapping up at that time, and other types of ship were needed.
LST 325 has a pretty interesting history, and the most recent 10 years are pretty cool. A group of old Navy guys went to Greece to get it going and bring it back. You can read all about it here… http://www.lstmemorial.org/ It’s a working ship, and they take it out for a few weeks/months each year, up and down the rivers.
We arrived in time to be able to take part in the Veteran’s breakfast they had going on which was nice, and unexpected. I’d kept out my USS Sphinx ball cap, so I fit in with many of the other vet’s. After breakfast, we waited for the cleanup, then joined in for a tour. It was fun for me, as I hadn’t been on the Sphinx since sometime in 1988 or 89, and it was bringing back some memories. It is a bit different, but the engineering, birthing, and mess hall space are similar. The big open area that houses tanks was filled with machinery for us, and some other storage or work areas. All in all, everyone had a good time, and the girls enjoyed seeing something that was like the Sphinx.
After, we headed on up to Morgantown.