BRANDENBURG, Ky. — In 1943, 1,051 Landing Ship Tanks (LST) were built to transport personnel and equipment during World War II.
Only one, the LST 325, remains fully operable. The ship took part in the invasion of Normandy.
It made a stop in Meade County and about 7,000 people took a step onboard the historic ship over the Labor Day holiday.
Many words can be used to describe the feeling of stepping onto a ship that was actually used in war.
For Debbie Howell, it only takes one- bittersweet.
“I cried coming up to the ship. I really did,” says Howell.
This ship was familiar to her father who was a World War II veteran. He passed away in June.
“I was so proud of him,” says Howell. “He saw a lot of stuff and I didn't even know till I was 40 that my dad was a medic because it was so difficult for him to talk about it,” says Howell.
Owen Chapman, LST 325’s chief chef, knows the story of every inch of the ship but he also enjoys learning stories like Howell’s.
“There are so many things, but talking to the people is I think it's the most important hearing their stories sharing our stories,” says Chapman.
One of his favorite memories was him showing a woman the ship’s galley.
Before she was able to meet her father, he was working as a chef on a similar ship that was torpedoed in the South Pacific.
“What were the chances of this lady ever seeing a ship similar to that of her dad, obviously, not knowing him at all and she could at least see what conditions he worked in and lived in,” says Chapman. “She started to break up. I started to break up.”
Another time, a World War II vet asked Chapman to show him the ship’s sleeping quarters.
“This 92-year-old man lay down on that rack. He could not have bought that experience for a million dollars. It's not available, but we were able to provide it,” says Chapman.
Chapman and 49 other volunteers travel up and down the Mississippi, Ohio and Cumberland rivers to share the piece of history.
“Kids like the guns and I think most of the parents enjoy the wheelhouse, but there's so much more to see. Remember, these ships were designed to carry troops and mechanized equipment, this whole tap top thing would have been filled with wheeled vehicles, all the track vehicles will be down below,” says Chapman.
Howell is happy she got to experience a small part of what her father did while serving.
“This is just awesome to have the opportunity to see this ship because I know how many people it how all the equipment they brought and lives they saved,” says Howell.
The floating museum departed from Brandenburg Monday evening.
Next, it will head to Ashland, Kentucky for the weekend.