WWII Vessel to Sail Again

A donation from EVAC Environmental firm will allow a World War II vessel that sailed 40 missions to France and England during WWII to sail again and serve as a museum ship for thousands of visitors across the country. The USS LST (Landing Ship Tank) 325, is one of only two WWII LST’s to be preserved in the United States. To bring it to standards that allow it to operate in U.S. waters, it must have a sewage treatment system on board. EVAC Environmental Solutions, 1260 Turret Dr., manufactures a marine sanitation device, called an ORCA, which treats sewage on board the vessel and discharges it overboard. The firm is donating the device to the USS LST 325, and on Thursday, August 15, 11:30 a.m., Capt. Robert Jornlin will appear at EVAC to receive the device and share information about the vessel, its history, and its future. The USS LST 325 was built in 1942 as an amphibious vessel designed to land battle-ready tanks, troops, and supplies directly onto enemy shores. LST’s were enormously useful during the war and belonged to all services – Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Merchant Marines. From Omaha Beach to the coast of Greenland, and from the Labrador Sea to Salerno, Italy, the ship played an important role in defending the country. The ship was decommissioned in 1946, then re-activated a number of times through the years, until eventually it was transferred to Greece and served in the Greek Navy until December 1999. In summer 2000, an aging crew of 50 U.S. Navy veterans saved the ship from the scrap yard, and in November of that year, 30 of the men sailed the ship from Crete to the U.S., a 6,200-mile voyage, with the goal of restoring the ship and preserving the memory of these ships and the men who served and died on them. The vessel arrived back in the U.S. in January 2001. It currently is stationed in Mobile, AL, where it is open for tours. With the installation of the ORCA device, the ship will be able to sail under its own power along inland rivers and along the coasts allowing people from across the country to see and tour the historic ship. Green Marine who is a representative of EVAC for the US Gulf Coast area will perform the start up and training of the equipment in Mobile, Alabama.