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during its 11-day stay there. More than 20,000 people toured the ship in Jeffersonville over four days.
LST-325 participated in the Normandy invasion as well as the invasions of Sicily and Salerno during World War II.
"It was amazing to me to see how happy people were to get a chance to see an LST," said Dewey L. Taylor, 78, of West Palm Beach, Fla.
The United States gave the LST-325 to Greece in 1964, and the Greek Navy used it for 35 years before giving it to the veterans group.
A group of 28 gray-haired U.S. veterans first brought the LST-325 to Mobile in early 2001. That trans-Atlantic trip from Gibraltar covered 4,350 miles and gained worldwide attention.
The ship has continued to undergo extensive repairs and upgrades during its 2 years in the Mobile area. Much of the work has been done by volunteers, and the LST-325 depends in large part on donations.
Taylor, who participated in the 2001 Atlantic crossing, said the highlight of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers adventure came when he looked at lines of people strung out for blocks, waiting to tour the ship in Evansville, Jeffersonville and Cape Girardeau. "When I saw all those people standing in line, I got tears in my eyes," he said.
"We did satisfy a number of veterans, World War II, Korean War and Vietnam," Ron Maranto, a Korean War Navy Vet, said. "They came aboard and left very satisfied with their visit. We also enjoyed seeing their reaction. It's worth the effort we put into this to see their reaction. Some of these guys, they'll have tears. They'll come aboard and look around. It's been 60 years since they've been on an LST."
At its temporary home port at Chickasaw, Ala., just north of Mobile, the ship's owners, who created a nonprofit group, have been slowly restoring the ship primarily using money raised through tours and donations.
"The ship's coming along pretty good," Maranto said. "There's a lot of work to do, but of course we'll have more money to do it with. That was the purpose of our trip."
New Orleans was the final stop in a nine-city tour that began June 2 and has had a twofold purpose: educate the public about the role LSTs played in wars and honoring those who served on them and built them, while raising money so they can continue restoring the boat, said Capt. Jornlin.
Jornlin, who skippered LST-325 on its Atlantic voyage two years ago, said his crew this time has an average age of about 65. About 75 people have served in the crew during the tour, though he said a core group of 20 worked the entire voyage -- done with the help of push boats, whose services have been donated by several tug companies.
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