USS LST-325 is a World War II-era tank landing ship (LST) of the United States Navy, notable for its historical significance and current status as a museum vessel. Launched on October 27, 1942, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and commissioned on February 1, 1943, under Lt. Ira Ehrensall, USNR, the ship played a vital role in several key military operations. During her service in World War II, LST-325 operated primarily in the North Africa region and participated in the invasions of Gela, Sicily, and Salerno, Italy. Most famously, she took part in the Normandy Landings on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944, as part of the largest armada in history, transporting 59 vehicles, 30 officers, and 396 enlisted men. Her first trip back to England also included transporting 38 casualties, exemplifying her role in both combat and humanitarian efforts. Throughout the war, LST-325 completed over 40 trips across the English Channel, ferrying troops and equipment essential for the European liberation. After the war, she was decommissioned on July 2, 1946, and laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. She was later reactivated in 1951 as USNS T-LST-325 and participated in "Operation SUNAC," supporting construction efforts in the North Atlantic, including the Labrador Sea, Davis Strait, and Baffin Bay. Struck from the Naval Vessel Register in 1961, she was transferred to Greece in 1964, serving as RHS Syros (L-144) until 1999. The USS LST Memorial, Inc., acquired the vessel in 2000, restoring her and returning her to the United States, where she arrived in Mobile Harbor in 2001. Since then, LST-325 has been based in Evansville, Indiana, serving as a memorial and museum. She is one of only two operational LSTs in the U.S., and her preservation highlights her maritime and wartime significance, including a notable 2003 journey along the Mississippi and Ohio rivers and a 2005 tour along the East Coast. Her current home port is Evansville, where she remains a symbol of naval history and the city’s wartime contributions.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.