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Contributed by Tommy Trampp

NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

MV LST-325
ex
 USNS T-LST-325 (1951 - 1964)
 USS LST-325 (1943 - 1951)

International Radio Call Sign:
November (Nan) - Whiskey (William) - Victor - Charlie
 NWVC
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from left to right
American Campaign Medal - Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal (2) - World War II Victory Medal

USS LST-325 was transferred to Greece, named HS Syros (L-144)
LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 10 August 1942, at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Philadelphia, PA.
  • Launched, 27 October 1942
  • Commissioned USS LST-325, 1 February 1943, LT. Ira Ehrensall, USNR, in command
  • During World War II USS LST-325 was assigned to the Europe-Africa-Middle-East Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

    Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaigns
    Campaigns and Dates Campaigns and Dates
    Sicilian occupation, 9 to 15 July 1943 Invasion of Normandy, 9 to 25 June 1944

  • Decommissioned, 2 July 1946, at Green Cove Springs, FL.
  • Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Florida Group, Green Cove Springs
  • Placed in service with MSTS in 1951 as USNS T-LST-325
  • Placed out of service, date unknown
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 1 September 1961
  • USS LST-325 earned two battle stars for World War II service
  • Transferred to the Maritime Administration (MARAD) for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet
  • Reacquired and activated by the Navy, September 1963
  • Transferred to Greece under the Military Assistance Program, 1 May 1964, named HS Syros (L-144) she operated in that nation's navy for more than three decades
  • Syros left active service in the later 1990s
  • Acquired in 2000 by the USS LST Memorial Inc., a Pennsylvania not-for-profit corporation, and renamed M/V LST-325
  • Manned by 29 members of the USS LST Memorial Inc., she sailed from Greece in December 2000 setting a course for Mobile AL., She arrived, 10 January 2001 at Mobile
  • Redesignated as Historical Museum USS LST-325, early 2004
  • Current Disposition, LST-325 serves as a tribute to all LST sailors, permanently moored at Evansville, IN.
    Specifications:
    Displacement
    1,625 t.(lt)
    4,080 t.(fl) (sea-going draft w/1675 ton load)
    2,366 t. (beaching displacement)
    Length 328' o.a.
    Beam 50'
    Draft
    light 2' 4" fwd, 7' 6" aft
    sea-going 8' 3" fwd, 14' 1" aft
    landing 3' 11" fwd, 9' 10" aft (landing w/500 ton load)
    limiting 11' 2"
    maximum navigation 14' 1"
    Speed 11.6 kts. (trial)
    Endurance 24,000 miles @ 9kts. while displacing 3960 tons
    Complement
    13 officers
    104 enlisted
    Troop Accommodations
    16 officers
    147 enlisted
    Boats 2 LCVP
    Cargo Capacity (varied with mission - payloads between 1600 and 1900 tons)
    Typical loads
    One Landing Craft Tank (LCT), tanks, wheeled and tracked vehicles, artillery, construction equipment and military supplies. A ramp or elevator forward allowed vehicles access to tank deck from main deck
    Additional capacity included sectional pontoons carried on each side of vessel amidships, to either build Rhino Barges or use as causeways. Married to the bow ramp, the causeways would enabled payloads to be delivered ashore from deeper water or where a beachhead would not allow the vessel to be grounded forward after ballasting
    Armament (varied with availability when each vessel was outfitted. Retro-fitting was accomplished throughout WWII. The ultimate armament design for United States vessels was
    2 - Twin 40MM gun mounts w/Mk. 51 directors
    4 - Single 40MM gun mounts
    12 single 20MM gun mounts
    Fuel Capacity
    Diesel 4,300 Bbls
    Propulsion
    two General Motors 12-567A, 900hp Diesel engines
    single Falk Main Reduction Gears
    three Diesel-drive 100Kw 230V D.C. Ship's Service Generators
    two propellers, 1,700shp
    twin rudders
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Source
    USS LST-325
    LST-325 1189k Sicily Invasion, July 1943.
    USS Boise (CL-47) fires on enemy forces near Gela, Sicily, 11 July 1943.
    Photo taken from USS LST-325. Note manned .50 caliber machine guns on several of the Army trucks embarked on the LST's deck, a precaution against German air attack.
    Morison, "History of U.S. Naval Operations in World War II" (Vol. IX, page 107) states that Boise's targets were enemy tanks.
    Photo by Sgt Harold Crosnon, USA. Army Signal Corps photo # SC 175981 In the Army Signal Corps Collection US National Archives.    		 Photo - Dave Kerr, Caption - US Naval History and Heritage Command
    LST-325 84k USS LST-325 unloading vehicles at Salerno, Italy, circa September 1943. Gerd Matthes
    LST-325
    10160325233    		 271k Members of the US Army 834th Engineer Aviation Battalion load equipment aboard USS LST-325 during amphibious training at Torquay, England, circa 1944.
    US National Archives Identifier 193746551, US Army Air Corps photo # 76766 A.C., now in the collections of the US National Archives.    		 David Upton
    LCT-153
    1018015301 B&W    		 230k USS LST-325 and LCT-153 beached Slapton Sands, circa January 1944. Note M36 tank destroyer in the foreground.
    1018015301 B&W - "Operation Dragon: The Liberation of Southern France 1944", by Anthony Tucker-Jones
    10160325234 Color - Facebook WW2 Colourised Photos.    		 Robert Hurst and Tommy Trampp
    LST-325
    10160325234 Color    		 72k
    LST-325 53k USS LST-325 beached at Slapton Sands, circa January 1944. Gerd Matthes
    LST-325 90k USS LST-325 unloading vehicles on Slapton Sands, 22 January, 1944. Robert Hurst
    LST-325
    80-G-252797    		 1152k USS LST-325 (left) and USS LST-388 unloading while stranded at low tide during resupply operations, 12 June 1944.
    Note: propellers, rudders and other underwater details of these LSTs; 40mm single guns; barrage balloon; "Danforth" style kedge anchor at LST-325's stern.
    National Archives photo #'s 80-G-252797 and 80-G-252799, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the National Archives.    		 Dave Kerr
    LST-325
    80-G-252799    		 1333k
    LST-388 1201k USS LST-325 and USS LST-388 unloads on a Normandy beach at low tide, 12 June 1944. Note barrage balloon overhead.
    US National Archives photo # 80-G-252796, taken by US Army Signal Corps. Combat Photo Unit Eight (CPU-8), now in the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command.    		 Dave Kerr
    LST-325 1163k USS LST-325 stranded at low tide 12 June 1944, while delivering materiel to the Normandy beachhead.
    Note: Sand ramp being constructed to permit unloading through her bow doors, and ship's unsupported forward hull.
    National Archives photo # 80-G-252795, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the National Archives.    		 Dave Kerr
    LST-325 1209k USS LST-325 and USS LST-134 beached at Normandy, 12 June 1944, as jeeps driving along the invasion beach carry casualties to the waiting LSTs. The LSTs will bring the casualties back to Britain for hospitalization.
    US Army Signal Corps. photo # SC 252777 from the US Army Signal Corps. collection of the US National Archives.    		 David Kerr
    LST-325 919k Siege of Brest, France, August-September 1944
    USS LST-325 (right) and USS LST-72 unloading directly onto trucks, after being left "high and dry" by the tide at Morlaix, France, 5 September 1944.
    US Army Signal Corps photo # SC 194739, US Army Signal Corps Collection, US National Archives.
    		 Dave Kerr
    LST-325 207k USS LST-325 moored pierside while being reconfigured to launch observation planes, but this conversion (the Brodie System) was canceled, as the war ended.
    US Navy and Marine Corps Museum/Naval Aviation Museum, Photo No. 2008.142.001.082    		 Mike Green
    LST-325 51k USS LST-325 at anchor in the St Johns River off Green Cove Springs, FL., shortly before decommissioning and lay up in reserve at Green Cove Springs, circa July 1946. Note she has LCT-854 cradled on her main deck and is rigged with a Brodie System for light aircraft launching and recovery. Gerd Matthes
    USNS T-LST-325
    LST-325 38k USNS T-LST-325 beached while unloading a Seabee power shovel, date and place unknown.
    US Navy photo    		 US Naval Historical Center
    LST-325 219k USNS T-LST-325 beached while unloading equipment and supplies at Kulusuk, East Greenland while the DEW line radar station at Kulusuk was under construction, circa 1960-61.
    Photos by Henning A. Bech, Denmark    		 Flemming Bech, Denmark for his father Henning A. Bech.
    LST-325 196k
    LST-325 201k
    HS Syros (L-144)
    LST-325 105k Syros (Greek Navy LST, 1964-2000)
    Underway in Hampton Roads, Virginia, 6 May 1964, probably while running post-overhaul trials. At this time, she was still technically the U.S. Navy USS LST-325, as she was not transferred to Greece until later in the month.
    Note: Ship's bow, reinforced for ice operations and fire hoses in use.
    US Navy photo # NH 97465, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center    		 US Naval Historical Center
    LST-325 96k Ex USS LST-325 now in service as the Greek HS Syros (L-144) approaching the beach during a Royal Hellenic Navy amphibious operation, circa 1969. The stern of the LSM HS Ipopliarchos Tournas (L-162), formerly USS LSM-102 is visible at the extreme left.
    US Navy photo # NH 97466, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center    		 US Naval Historical Center
    LST-325 28k HS Syros (L-144) in port, date and place unknown. Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret
    Potter County 340k Greek amphibious ships moored at the Salamis Naval Base, Greece, 31 August 1979.
    From left to right:
    Ex-USS LSM-399 - HS Ipopliarkhos Roussen (L-164)
    Ex-USS LSM-45 - HS Ipopliarkhos Grigoropoulos (L-161)
    Ex-USS LSM-102 - HS Ipopliarchos Toyrnas (L-162)
    Ex-USS Potter County (LST-1086) - HS Ikaria (L-154)
    Ex-USS Page County (LST-1076) - HS Kriti (L-171)
    Ex-USS Boone County (LST-389) - HS Lesbos (L-172)
    Ex-USS Bowman County (LST-391) - HS Rodos (L-157)
    Ex-USS LST-325 - HS Syros (L-144)
    Defense Imagery Photo # VIRIN: DN-SC-82-00333 by PHC C. Pedrick USN.    		 Robert Hurst
    LST-325 72k HS Syros (L-144) underway in 1969, location unknown.
    Official Royal Hellenic Navy, photo.    		 Robert Hurst
    M/V LST-325
    LST-325 140k M/V LST-325, ex Syros, seen here mid-voyage from Greece, via Gibraltar and Nassau, to final destination Mobile AL, circa late-2000 to January 2001. Manned by volunteer members of the USS LST Memorial Inc. Contributed by: Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret
    Source: Lawrence County (LST-887) web site
    LST-325 170k M/V LST-325, ex Syros, seen here mid-voyage from Greece, via Gibraltar and Nassau, to final destination Mobile AL, circa late-2000 to January 2001. Manned by volunteer members of the USS LST Memorial Inc. Contributed by: Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret
    Source: Lawrence County (LST-887) web site
    LST-325 132k M/V LST-325, ex Syros, seen here mid-voyage from Greece, via Gibraltar and Nassau, to final destination Mobile AL, circa late-2000 to January 2001. Manned by volunteer members of the USS LST Memorial Inc Contributed by: Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret
    Source: Lawrence County (LST-887) web site
    LST-325 128k M/V LST-325, ex Syros, seen here mid-voyage from Greece, via Gibraltar and Nassau, to final destination Mobile AL, circa late-2000 to January 2001. Manned by volunteer members of the USS LST Memorial Inc. Contributed by: Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret
    Source: Lawrence County (LST-887) web site
    LST-325 659k M/V LST-325 arriving at Mobile, AL., 10 January, 2001
    Photo by Associated Press photographer Dave Martin from the April 2001 issue of "Naval History Magazine"    		 Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret
    LST-325 72k M/V LST-325, at Mobile, AL., 12 January, 2001 Photo by George Horton, USS LST-970
    LST-325
    LST-325 53k LST-325 moored at Evansville, IN., 1 January 2003. Photo by Dreadnaught (real name unknown) Robert Hurst
    LST-325 36k LST-325 stern view, moored on the Ohio River, (date unknown)  
    LST-325 87k LST-325 moored pierside with bow doors open at Evansville, IN., 12 July 2003. CDR Erik Eriksen USNR (Ret)
    LST-325 86k LST-325 starboard beam view moored pierside at St. Louis, MO., 2003 Photo by Gary D. Bollinger
    LST-325 69k LST 325 moored at the Massachusetts. Maritime Academy. Buzzards Bay, Cape Cod, 6 June 2005. Photo by Bill Fraser
    LST-325 72k LST 325 moored at the Massachusetts. Maritime Academy. Buzzards Bay, Cape Cod, 6 June 2005. Photo by Bill Fraser
    LST-325 44k Boston residents watch as LST 325, sails past prior to mooring in Boston Harbor as part of Navy Week Boston, 11 June 2005.
    US Navy photo # 050611-N-8946D-063 by JO1 Daniel Day.    		 Tony Cowart
    LST-325 76k LST-325 arrives in the Boston Harbor escorted by the Coast Guard. LST-325 participated in the 63rd Annual WWII Commemoration Ceremony, designed to give WWII veterans a chance to reunite with their shipmates and receive recognition for their courage and patronage. While at Boston LST-325 was open for tours through June 20, 2005.
    US Coast Guard photo # 050609-C-4938N-312 Boston, Mass. (June 9, 2005) by Public Affairs Specialist 3rd Class Kelly Newlin.    		 Bill Gonyo
    LST-325 39k LST 325 underway at Tall Stacks on the Ohio River, October 2006. Photo by Anna Adams Susan Bloom
    LST-325 245k LST 325 moored at Evansville, IN. during the Tall Stacks festival, October 2006. Photo by Greg Hume Robert Hurst
    LST-325 477k LST 325 moored at Hannibal MO., August 2008 Judy G Reagan (Bair) in honor of her father LCDR Ernest E Bair USNR Ret. USS LST-632
    LST-325 1447k LST 325 underway at Hannibal MO., August 2008 Judy G Reagan (Bair) in honor of her father LCDR Ernest E Bair USNR Ret. USS LST-632
    LST-325 300k LST 325 moored a Paducah, KY. on the Tennessee River, May 2009. Photos by Doug Harris
    LST-325 272k
    LST-325 398k LST 325 makes her way through Newburgh Locks and Dam on its way to Jeffersonville, IND., 24 August 2009.
    Photo by Louisville USACE. This file is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.    		 Robert Hurst
    LST-325 113k LST 325 underway on the Ohio River at Wheeling, WVA, 1 September 2010. Ron Reeves
    LST-325 124k LST 325 underway on the Ohio River at Huntington, WVA, 10 September 2010. Photo by Jim White
    LST-325 57k LST 325 underway on the Ohio River at Evansville, IN., 16 September 2010. Ron Reeves
    Constitution
    050611-C-4938N-328    		 293k LST-325 is in the foreground as U.S. Coast Guard patrol boats and a tugboat escort USS Constitution, "Old Ironsides", out to Island Castle Hill in south Boston prior to firing a 21-gun salute, on 11 June 2005. This event officially starts Navy Week Boston, a series of community events sponsored by the Navy Office of Community Outreach. Constitution is the oldest commissioned vessel in the world.
    US Coast Guard photo # 050611-C-4938N-328 by Public Affairs Specialist 3rd Class Kelly Newlin
    US Navy photo # 050611-N-8110K-137 by MC1 David Kaylor.    		 Robert Hurst
    LST-325
    050611-N-8110K-137    		 278k
    LST-325 449k LST 325 arrives at the Ingalls Shipbuilding shipyard, Decatur, AL., 3 September 2014. Tommy Trampp
    LST-325 89k LST 325 under way on the Ohio River at Portsmouth, OH., 29 August 2015. Leland E. Ford Jr.
    LST-325 197k LST 325 moored pierside at Pittsburgh, PA., 6 September 2015. Photo by Dave Kerr
    LST-325
    10160325267    		 237k LST 325 moored pierside on the Allegheny River at North Shore, Pittsburhg, PA., 8 September 2015. Note two geese and Heinz Field.
    Photo courtesy of daveynin. This file is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.    		 Robert Hurst
    LST-325
    10160325236    		 252k LST 325 underway, dates and locations unknown.
    Photos from the LST Memorial    		 Tommy Trampp
    LST-325
    10160325237    		 307k
    LST-325
    10160325238    		 270k LST 325 underway during daylight hours and moored at night, dates and locations unknown.
    Photos from the LST Memorial, Craig Swany, Weatherford Images    		 Tommy Trampp
    LST-325
    10160325239    		 191k
    LST-325
    10160325240    		 70k LST 325 docked in the Quad Cities in the summer of 2018. The ship was at the Isle Casino Hotel Marina in Bettendorf from 30 August through 3 September.
    967eagke.net    		 Tommy Trampp
    USS LST-325
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Ehrensall, Ira, USNR1 February 1943 - 14 February 1943
    02ENS. Mosier, Clifford Eugene, USN14 February 1943 - 7 July 1945
    03LCDR. Chitran, Robert N., USNR7 July 1945 - 29 August 1945
    04LCDR. Hoppe, William Everett, USNR29 August 1945 - 29 April 1946
    05LT. Siedenburg, Frank Charles, USNR29 April 1946 - 2 July 1946
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    LST 325 Personnel Photo Collections
    The USS LST Ship Memorial
    LST Home Port
    State LST Chapters
    United States LST Association
    Historic Naval Ship Association
    "Mosier's Raiders: The Story of LST-325" by David Bronson
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To the Amphibious Ship Type Index Back To The Tank Landing Ship (LST) Photo Index
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    Last Updated 5 January 2024