FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Alton, IL – Aug. 13, 2025) A piece of world maritime history, the LST 325, will dock at the Alton Riverfront Sept. 18-22 and be open for public tours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

Admission for these self-guided tours is $20 for adults, $10 for those 6 – 17 years of age and free for kids 5 and under.

Visitors to the LST 325 will meet the ship’s crew who will provide detailed descriptions of the role the LST ships played during U.S. wars and honor the men who served on the ships. The ship, which was used in the invasion at Omaha Beach on D Day, is one of 1,051 LSTs built in the U.S. during World War II, and is the only remaining working LST in the country.

“This is an important piece of our World War II history and we are pleased to welcome the LST 325 to Alton,” Cory Jobe, President/CEO of the Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau said.

The LST ships could carry 20 Sherman tanks in the hold of the ship and 30 to 40 trucks, tons of fuels, ammunition or supplies and soldiers. The LSTs were used during World War II and the Korea and Vietnam conflicts. The Landing Ship Tank (LST) measures 328-feet-long.

Present during the World War II invasion of Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944, the LST 325 as also in Sicily, Italy on July 10, 1943. It was one of the first LSTs to be built in the U.S. at the U.S. Navy Shipyard in Philadelphia. Other ships were built on the Illinois River at Seneca and on the Ohio River in Pittsburgh, PA and Evansville, IN. Shipyards completed construction of an LST ship every five days and then workers, welders and equipment installers boarded the vessels and completed the work while they were enroute down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico.

During World War II, the LST 325 made more than 42 round trips from England to France, supplying allies with fuel, ammunition and other supplies. The LST took wounded soldiers back to England, serving as a hospital ship. On one of her trips, the crew rescued 600 soldiers in the North Sea after their ship was torpedoes and sunk.

The LST 325 has a home port of Evansville, IN.

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(The Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau is a certified Destination Marketing Organization serving Madison, Jersey, Calhoun, Macoupin, Montgomery and Greene counties and East St. Louis in St. Clair County. The bureau is dedicated to educating visitors about the region by providing information regarding the area’s history, unique landmarks, recreational opportunities, leisure attractions, special events and scenic marvels.)