Tours will be available from Sept. 15-18

A World War II landing ship will dock at the Port of Ashland in September and be available for tours.

The LST-325, a decommissioned tank landing ship, will be in town from Sept. 15-18 at the park, located at 50 15th St., and tours will be given from 9 a.m-5 p.m.

According to the ship’s website, the mission of vessel is to educate its visitors to the role of the LST in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

“It is our desire to preserve the memory of these ships and all the countless heroic men who died in battle during the service to their country,” a statement reads. “The names of all who died while serving on LSTs will be displayed on the ship. By preserving this priceless piece of American history, we will bring honor to the American ship building industries that produced them, the crews who served and defended them, and those who were carried onto the invasion shores by them.”

To learn more about the ship, please visit this website https://lstmemorial.org/welcome-aboard.

Tours will be $10 for adults, $5 for children and free for World War II and Korea veterans, active service members and first responders (with ID).

To support its educational mission, the museum will present exhibits and programs to the public. Artifacts, books, photographs, oral histories and archival material relating to the service of LSTs in general, and the USS LST 325 in particular, will also be collected and displayed. The main focus of the museum’s acquisitions, exhibits, and programs will be 1941-1978 with special emphasis on 1941-1945. The appearance of the ship will maintain its wartime configuration.

After stopping in Ashland, the ship will travel to Charleston, West Virginia, where it will be docked and open to tours from Sept. 21-25.