We had the unique opportunity to tour a real WWII naval vessel while visiting family in Evansville on the way to Branson. It was an extensive tour and Joshua actually got sick from the musty air inside, but he recovered quickly. They had operable gun turrets on deck, but unfortunately no more tanks below decks. They did have a forklift the boys enjoyed "driving" and an Army ambulance. Joshua decided the sleeping quarters were not quite spacious enough, but the capacious helmet he tried on dwarfed his wee head.
LST-325 berthed in Evansville
LST-325 berthed in Evansville
And Cousin Ed says these bunks are like the Ritz compared to his submarine!
Loving the forklift.
Not a sight I ever expected to see - looking out from the belly of a warship. Imagine getting ready to roll out your artillery and supplies into the jungle of New Guinea or the beaches of Normandy while under fire. This was actually pretty interesting to me since I have been reading the history of the U.S. Navy in WWII series (over the past four years - I think I just passed the halfway point). I'm not exactly sure what good it does me other than to better appreciate what the war was really like, to understand the roles of the navy, and to gain insight into the leadership inherent to successful military campaigns, which could be applicable to much of life.
1 comment:
Glad your summer slowed down long enough for you to post some more of your great pics. My gosh the boys are growing like weeds! The special memories you all are making for them are priceless. Hope we can see you again before another 10 years races by. All our love. Ed and Karen
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